Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strategies for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COPD in low- and middle- income countries: the importance of primary care

ABSTRACT Introduction Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear a high proportion of the global morbidity and mortality caused by COPD. Increased exposure to risk factors throughout life (e.g. malnutrition, indoor and outdoor air pollution, and smoking) is associated with higher COPD prevalence in LMICs and the lack of treatment availability increases avoidable harm. Areas covered This review covers the epidemiology and burden of COPD in LMICs, and challenges and recommendations related to health-care systems, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Main challenges are related to under-resourced health-care systems (such as limited availability of spirometry, rehabilitation, and medicines). Lack of policy and practical local guidelines on COPD diagnosis and management further contribute to the low diagnostic and treatment rates. In the absence of, or limited number of respiratory specialists, primary care practitioners (general practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and community health workers) play an even more pivotal role in COPD management in LMICs. Expert opinion Raising awareness on COPD, educating health-care workers, patients, and communities on cost-effective preventive measures as well as improving availability, affordability and proper use of diagnostic and pharmacological and non-pharmacologic treatment in primary care are the key interventions needed to improve COPD prevention, diagnosis, and care in LMICs.
Tissue clearing and 3D imaging in developmental biology

ABSTRACT Tissue clearing increases the transparency of late developmental stages and enables deep imaging in fixed organisms. Successful implementation of these methodologies requires a good grasp of sample processing, imaging and the possibilities offered by image analysis. In this Primer, we highlight how tissue clearing can revolutionize the histological analysis of developmental processes and we advise on how to implement effective clearing protocols, imaging strategies and analysis methods for developmental biology.
Nutritional supplementation to enhance the efficacy of exercise training in older adults: what is the evidence from the latest randomized controlled trials?

Purpose of review This review summarizes recent studies that assessed whether nutritional supplementation enhances the efficacy of exercise training in older adults, focusing on the benefits for physical/functional performance of protein, vitamin D, or multi-ingredient supplementation. Recent findings Studies applying long-term exercise training strongly support the benefits of different exercise regimens for muscle strength and function but most studies do not provide direct evidence for protein, vitamin D, or multi-ingredient supplementation to further augment such improvements in older adults. Several methodological limitations are addressed that likely limited the reliability to convincingly establish or refute any additive effects of supplementation. Only when specifically tailored to the population under study, ensuring proper intensity, duration, and adherence to exercise, and aiming for a daily intake of ∼1.5 g protein per kg body mass, and ∼800 IU of vitamin D supplementation, there appears to be some potential to augment the efficacy of long-term exercise training in older adults, with potentially greater benefits in compromised older subpopulations. Summary There is some support for the efficacy of nutritional supplementation to further augment the beneficial effects of prolonged exercise training in older adults but any intervention needs tailoring of both the exercise and the nutritional intervention towards the intended (sub)population.
Aberrant DNA methylation patterns in microsatellite stable human colorectal cancers define a new marker panel for the CpG island methylator phenotype

A distinct group of colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) referred to as the “CpG island methylator phenotype” (CIMP) shows an extremely high incidence of de novo DNA methylation and may share common pathological, clinical or molecular features. However, there is limited consensus about which CpG islands (CGIs) define a CIMP, particularly in microsatellite stable (MSS) carcinomas. To study this phenotype in a systematic manner, we analyzed genome‐wide CGI DNA methylation profiles of 19 MSS CRC using methyl‐CpG immunoprecipitation (MCIp) and hybridization on 244K CGI oligonucleotide microarrays, determined KRAS and BRAF mutation status and compared disease‐related DNA methylation changes to chromosomal instability as detected by microarray‐based comparative genomic hybridization. Results were validated using mass spectrometry analysis of bisulfite‐converted DNA at a subset of 76 individual CGIs in 120 CRC and 43 matched normal tissue samples. Both genome‐wide profiling and CpG methylation fine mapping segregated a group of CRC showing pronounced and frequent de novo DNA methylation of a distinct group of CGIs that only partially overlapped with previously established classifiers. The CIMP group defined in our study revealed significant association with colon localization, either KRAS or BRAF mutation, and mostly minor chromosomal losses but no association with known histopathological features. Our data provide a basis for defining novel marker panels that may enable a more reliable classification of CIMP in all CRCs, independently of the MS status.
Effect of body condition change and health status during early lactation on performance and survival of Holstein cows.

Body condition score (BCS) and disease records are commonly available in dairy operations. However, the effect of BCS changes (ΔBCS) considering specific health profiles has not been investigated extensively. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of different levels of ΔBCS on fertility, milk yield, and survival of Holstein cows diagnosed with reproductive disorders (REP; dystocia, twins, retained fetal membranes, metritis, and clinical endometritis), other health disorders (OTH; subclinical ketosis, left displaced abomasum, lameness, clinical mastitis, and respiratory disease), or with no disease events (HLT) within 40 days in milk (DIM). Data included lactation information from 11,733 cows calving between November 2012 and October 2014 in 16 herds across 4 geographical regions in the United States (Northeast, Midwest, Southwest, Southeast). Cows were evaluated for BCS at 5 ± 3 DIM (BCS5) and at 40 ± 3 DIM (BCS40) and the difference between BCS40 and BCS5 was classified as excessive loss of BCS (EL; ΔBCS ≤-0.75), moderate loss (ML; ΔBCS = -0.5 to -0.25), no change (NC; ΔBCS = 0), or gain of BCS (GN; ΔBCS ≥0.25). Multivariable logistic regression was used for assessing potential associations between the outcomes of interest and ΔBCS and health. The effect of the interaction term ΔBCS by health group was not statistically significant for any of the study outcomes. The odds of resumption of ovarian cyclicity (ROC), in GN, NC, and ML cows were 1.94 (95% CI: 1.57-2.40), 1.59 (1.28-1.97), and 1.27 (1.10-1.47) times greater than the odds of ROC in EL cows, respectively. The odds of pregnancy at 150 DIM (P150) in GN cows were 1.61 (1.20-2.17) times greater than the odds of P150 in EL cows. Cows with REP or OTH disorders had smaller odds of ROC compared with HLT cows [REP: OR = 0.65 (0.56-0.76) and OTH: OR = 0.79 (0.68-0.92)]. For pregnancy outcomes, REP cows had smaller odds of pregnancy at the first artificial insemination compared with HLT cows [0.70 (0.58-0.84)]. Similarly, REP cows had smaller odds of being diagnosed pregnant by 150 and 305 DIM compared with HLT cows [P150: 0.73 (0.59-0.87), P305: 0.58 (0.49-0.69)]. Overall, average daily milk within the first 90 DIM was greater in EL (39.5 ± 1.13 kg/d) and ML (38.9 ± 1.11 kg/dl) cows than in NC (37.8 ± 1.12 kg/d) and GN (36.2 ± 1.12 kg/d) cows. On the other hand, average daily milk within the first 90 DIM was lower in REP (37.0 ± 1.11 kg/d) cows compared with OTH (38.7 ± 1.12 kg/d) and HLT cows (38.6 ± 1.11 kg/d). The magnitude of ΔBCS and the health status of early lactation cows should be considered when assessing subsequent cow performance and survival.
Glycoside constituents with various antioxidant effects from fresh Cynomorium songaricum

Abstract Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. (CSR), an edible and medicinal material, is widely cultivated in desert regions of Eastern and Western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Ten glycoside constituents 1–10 including one new songaricumone A (1) were isolated from the fresh C. songaricum. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive NMR data analysis. Further, various antioxidant effects of isolated compounds (1–3 and 5–10) were comprehensively and comparatively investigated. In conclusion, it is obvious that different glycosides vary significantly toward different sources of free radicals, which are attributed to different aglycones and substituted positions of sugar unit in structures. Graphical Abstract
Quantitative Longitudinal Imaging Reveals that Inhibiting Hedgehog Activity Alleviates the Hypoxic Tumor Landscape

Metastases account for the majority of mortalities related to breast cancer. The onset and sustained presence of hypoxia strongly correlates with increased incidence of metastasis and unfavorable prognosis in patients with breast cancer. The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is dysregulated in breast cancer, and its abnormal activity enables tumor progression and metastasis. In addition to programming tumor cell behavior, Hh activity enables tumor cells to craft a metastasis-conducive microenvironment. Hypoxia is a prominent feature of growing tumors that impacts multiple signaling circuits that converge upon malignant progression. We investigated the role of Hh activity in crafting a hypoxic environment of breast cancer. We used radioactive tracer [18F]-fluoromisonidazole (FMISO) positron emission tomography (PET) to image tumor hypoxia. We show that tumors competent for Hh activity are able to establish a hypoxic milieu; pharmacologic inhibition of Hh signaling in a syngeneic mammary tumor model mitigates tumor hypoxia. Furthermore, in hypoxia, Hh activity is robustly activated in tumor cells and institutes increased HIF signaling in a VHL-dependent manner. The findings establish a novel perspective on Hh activity in crafting a hypoxic tumor landscape and molecularly navigating the tumor cells to adapt to hypoxic conditions. Implications: Importantly, we present a translational strategy of utilizing longitudinal hypoxia imaging to measure the efficacy of vismodegib in a preclinical model of triple-negative breast cancer.
Experimental models for vascular endothelial dysfunction

Vascular endothelial dysfunction is characterized by apoptosis of endothelial cells, an imbalance between vasoconstrictory and vasodilatory substances, the imbalance between ROS and antioxidants, vascular remodeling, loss of vascular integrity which leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular complications. To date, no therapeutic intervention is available as a promising agent. This may be due to a poor understanding of the underlying mechanism involved in vascular endothelial dysfunction in the pathogenesis. Animal models sharing identical features as that of humans are paramount to understand fundamental physiology, mechanism and to explore new targets for developing therapeutic agents. Thus, it becomes mandatory to re-explore the available animal models for a better understanding of molecular pathways involving vascular endothelial dysfunction. The purpose of this paper is to review different models for vascular endothelial dysfunction to the outlook for developing new drugs to treat vascular endothelial dysfunction.
Homography-based model with light calibration for plenoptic cameras

Abstract. Light-field and plenoptic cameras are widely available today. Compared with monocular cameras, these cameras capture not only the intensity but also the direction of the light rays. Due to this specificity, light-field cameras allow for image refocusing and depth estimation using a single image. However, most of the existing depth estimation methods using light-field cameras require a prior complex calibration phase and raw data preprocessing before the desired algorithm is applied. We propose a homography-based method with plenoptic camera parameters calibration and optimization, dedicated to our homography-based micro-images matching algorithm. The proposed method works on debayerred raw images with vignetting correction. The proposed approach directly links the disparity estimation in the 2D image plane to the depth estimation in the 3D object plane, allowing for direct extraction of the real depth without any intermediate virtual depth estimation phase. Also, calibration parameters used in the depth estimation algorithm are directly estimated, and hence no prior complex calibration is needed. Results are illustrated by performing depth estimation with a focused light-field camera over a large distance range up to 4 m.
Aphid Survey Reveals the First Record of the Bramble Aphid Aphis ruborum (Börner & Schilder, 1931) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in Algeria, and a Second Report for Africa After 59 Years

Since aphids are considered among the most dangerous pests to crops, it is important to know the species existing in a given biotope. The results showed a total richness of 48 aphid species, divided into 29 genera, six tribes and four subfamilies. Aphis fabae, Aphis gossypii and Myzus persicae are the most captured species with 14.74 %, 11.96 % and 9 % respectively. This paper presents the first finding of Aphis ruborum (Börner & Schilder, 1931) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) for Algeria and the second record for the African continent. This aphid is reported for the first time from the Tizi-Ouzou province. The first winged individuals were caught in yellow traps installed in a potato field in Makouda (Tizi-Ouzou, northern Algeria). Several colonies were detected on wild brambles around this field. Two aphid species are found on potato leaves, namely M. persicae and A. fabae. M. persicae was the most abundant species with 1082 individuals.
Late-Night Use of Social Media and Cognitive Engagement of Female Entrepreneurs: A Stressor–Strain–Outcome Perspective

The excessive use of social media is an emerging phenomenon with several negative consequences in an entrepreneurial context. Based on the stressor–strain–outcome paradigm, this research aims to unveil the following: that social media late-night usage can affect two psychological strains (life invasion and technostress) among female entrepreneurs and thus influence their behavioral outcome (cognitive engagement). This study empirically tested the proposed mediation model using an online survey of 225 female entrepreneurs from the small- and medium-sized enterprise sector. A partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was implemented to obtain the results. The findings indicate that late-night social media usage significantly raises life invasion and technostress among female entrepreneurs. Moreover, internal strains (life invasion and technostress) reduce female entrepreneurs’ cognitive engagement and significantly mediate the association between late-night use of social media and entrepreneurial cognitive engagement. This study draws associated practical and theoretical contributions based on findings, which were not previously discussed.
Assessing the Adoption of e-Health Technology in a Developing Country: An Extension of the UTAUT Model

Electronic healthcare services are becoming an increasingly essential form of information and communication technology (ICT) that enables the fast and smooth delivery of health care, specifically in countries with scarce resources such as Pakistan. A better understanding of factors contributing to the adoption of electronic health care is needed, yet this remains an under-researched phenomenon. Grounded in the united theory of acceptance and use of technology, this article attempts to fill the gap by proposing and empirically testing the contribution of trust, privacy, task-technology fit, and personal innovativeness of patients’ intentions to adopt electronic health technology. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 353 patients in major hospitals in Islamabad, Pakistan. This study used Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling for the analysis. Results indicate that the intention to adopt electronic health technology is determined mostly by effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, task-technology fit, trust, privacy, and personal innovativeness in information technology. The study concludes with several managerial implications and future research directions, which give further opportunities to researchers and practitioners in the field of e-health technology.
Addicted to Self-esteem: Understanding the neurochemistry of narcissism by using cocaine as a pharmacological model

There are pronounced behavioural and neuroimaging parallels between cocaine abuse and narcissism. Although the observed commonalities are not specific to cocaine as opposed to other types of addiction, we argue that the relatively constrained molecular actions of cocaine and, more importantly, the covariance of narcissism-like behaviours with cocaine use build a strong case for taking the known effects of cocaine as a starting point for addressing the hitherto underinvestigated neurophysiology of narcissism. In this review, we discuss the potential relevance of cocaine abuse as a pharmacological model of narcissism. We outline previous research on the role of monoamines across several domains affected in narcissistic personality disorder and subclinical narcissism, namely, selected personality traits, social behaviour, emotional empathy and self-referential processing. We propose that dysregulation in dopamine signalling might underlie addiction-like features of narcissism and that altered serotonergic signalling may account for affective components of narcissism and, in particular, explain the differences between grandiose and vulnerable subtypes. In conclusion, we provide recommendations for future research.
Linking CSR and Customer Engagement: The Role of Customer-Brand Identification and Customer Satisfaction

The study investigates how corporate social responsibility (CSR) impacts customer engagement and the mediating role of customer-brand identification and customer satisfaction. Survey data collected from 293 life insurance customers were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that CSR, customer-brand identification, and customer satisfaction are essential drivers of customer engagement. Furthermore, the findings show that CSR significantly influences customer-brand identification and customer satisfaction. The results also show that customer-brand identification and customer satisfaction play a key mediating effect in the relationship between CSR and customer engagement. The findings underscore the need for life insurance firms to consider CSR as a strategic instrument to stimulate and elicit favorable customer responses.
Does Increasing Product Complexity and Diversity Cause Economic Growth in the Long-Run? A GMM Panel VAR Evidence

Using aggregate data from 31 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries covering periods from 1982 to 2017, this study examines the notion that the level of product complexity is a good determinant of economic growth in the long run. We use the impulse-response function (IRF) computed from the consistent generalized method of moment panel vector autoregressive (GMM pVAR) model to estimate the response of the real output growth to a change in the economic complexity index. The IRF shows that the economic complexity index has a significant impact on economic growth; a 1 standard deviation shock to the economic complexity index at time 0 contributes around 2.34 percentage points to the average rate of growth of output within the first period. The point estimates are positive and significant up to the third period. The cumulative IRF shows that the aggregate impact on economic growth is about 4.4% in the long run. Compared to some widely used innovation proxies such as the gross expenditure on research and development and secondary school enrollment, the economic complexity index performs relatively better in our model in determining economic growth in the long run.
Do Consumers Care About Aesthetics and Compatibility? The Intention to Use Wearable Devices in Health Care

This study examined the influencing factors on consumers’ intention to use wearable devices in health care (WDH). Although the importance of the WDH market is increasing, existing empirical study results on WDH have been selectively investigated based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). To address this issue, we endeavored to contribute by integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and innovation diffusion theory (IDT) on top of TAM to explain the psychological mechanism underlying consumer behaviors, especially when adopting advanced wearable devices in the health care domain. We surveyed 303 people in Pangyo IT Valley, South Korea, and attempted a path analysis using PLS-SEM estimation. The findings suggest that individual innovativeness (IIN) directly affects consumers’ intention to use (IU) WDH, while self-efficacy (SE), aesthetics (AES), and compatibility (COM) have indirectly influenced their usage intentions. Detailed results are described in the article.
Revisiting Bitcoin Price Behavior Under Global Economic Uncertainty

This study examines the relationship between global economic policy uncertainty (GEPU) and bitcoin prices (BCP) employing the rolling window method. The full sample test shows that there is no causality between GEPU and BCP. However, the full sample causal relationship between the variables can be different when considering structural changes. The finding of the rolling window test indicates that there is causality in different subsamples. It has found both positive and negative bidirectional causalities between GEPU and BCP across various subsamples. The decision makers need to accelerate the development of blockchain technology that can be used for hedging and portfolio diversification. Moreover, enacting laws and regulations on state interventions and prohibitions ensures investor confidence. Information about policy changes should be incorporated into portfolio selection to avoid random market fluctuations. Its unregulated nature makes it more turbulent in the short term and has undergone sudden changes, so investors should be able to obtain comprehensive information about global economic and policy changes. Policy makers should ensure investor confidence by making legal regulations on state interventions and prohibitions.
The Communication of Justice, Injustice, and Necessary Evils: An Empirical Examination

The prevailing approach to studying justice in the workplace has focused on recipients and observers of justice. This approach, however, fails to consider the experience of other parties including those who communicate justice. To understand the experience of communicating fairness, we investigated how justice, injustice, and necessary evils differentially affect guilt and stress. In addition, we explored how communicating bad news compares to these experiences. Across two studies, we found evidence showing that guilt and stress were affected by what was being communicated, such that injustice and necessary evils provoked more guilt and stress than justice. These findings highlight how justice broadly affects communicators psychologically and physiologically.