Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Co‐CRISPR: A valuable toolkit for mutation enrichment in the gene editing of Spodoptera frugiperda

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been successfully applied in dozens of diverse species; although the screening of successful CRISPR/Cas9 editing events remains particularly laborious, especially for those that occur at relatively low frequency. Recently, a co‐CRISPR strategy was proved to enrich the desired CRISPR events. Here, the co‐CRISPR strategy was developed in the Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, with kynurenine 3‐monooxygenase gene (kmo) as a marker. The kmo mosaics induced by single‐guide RNAs (sgRNAs)/Cas9 displayed the darker green color phenotype in larvae, compared with wild type (brown), and mosaic‐eye adults were significantly acquired from the mosaic larvae group. In the kmo knockout strain, no significant difference was observed in larval development and adult reproduction. Acetylcholinesterase 2 (ace2) and Wnt1 were selected as target genes to construct the co‐CRISPR strategy using kmo marker. By co‐injection of kmo and ace2 sgRNAs, the mutant efficiency of ace2 was significantly increased in the kmo mosaic (larvae or adults) groups. Similarly, more malformed pupae with Wnt1 mutations were observed in the darker green larvae group. Taken together, these results demonstrated that kmo was a suitable visible marker gene for the application and extension of co‐CRISPR strategy in Fall armyworm. Using darker green color in larvae or mosaic‐eye in adults from kmo knockout as a marker, the mutant efficiency of a target gene could be enriched in a Fall armyworm group consisting of marked individuals. The co‐CRISPR strategy is helpful for gene function studies by the knockout technique with no or lethal phenotypes.
The negative association of lower body fat mass with cardiometabolic disease risk factors is partially mediated by adiponectin

Gluteofemoral fat correlates negatively with a number of cardiometabolic disease risk factors, but the mechanisms involved in these relationships are unknown. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that gluteofemoral fat attenuates the risk of cardiometabolic disease by increasing blood adiponectin levels. This was a cross-sectional study in which arm, leg, gluteofemoral, abdominal s.c. and visceral fat levels were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 648 African females. Fasting serum adiponectin, lipid, insulin and plasma glucose levels and blood pressure were measured. Relationships between variables were analysed using multivariable linear regression and structural equation modelling. Adiponectin correlated positively (β = 0.45, P < 0.0001) with gluteofemoral fat in a multivariable regression model that included age, height, and arm, s.c. and visceral fat levels. In further regression models, there was a negative correlation of gluteofemoral fat with fasting glucose (β = −0.28; P < 0.0001) and triglyceride levels (β = −0.29; P < 0.0001) and insulin resistance (HOMA; β = −0.26; P < 0.0001). Structural equation modelling demonstrated that adiponectin mediated 20.7% (P < 0.01) of the association of gluteofemoral fat with insulin resistance and 16.1% (P < 0.01) of the association with triglyceride levels but only 6.67% (P = 0.31) of the association with glucose levels. These results demonstrate that gluteofemoral and leg fat are positively associated with adiponectin levels and that the negative association of lower body fat with insulin resistance and triglyceride levels may partially be mediated by this adipokine. Further studies are required to determine other factors that mediate the effect of lower body fat on cardiometabolic disease risk factors.
Abortion services and providers in Canada in 2019: results of a national survey

Background: Since 2016, abortion care has undergone several important changes, particularly related to the provision of medical abortion using mifepristone. We aimed to document characteristics of the abortion care workforce in Canada after the update of clinical practice guidelines of mifepristone use for medical abortion. Methods: We conducted a national, web-based, anonymized, bilingual (English/French) survey. We collected demographics and clinical care characteristics of physicians and nurse practitioners who provided abortion care in 2019. Between July and December 2020, we distributed the survey through professional organizations, including The College of Family Physicians of Canada and The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. We present descriptive statistics. Results: Overall, 465 respondents representing all 10 provinces and 3 territories in Canada completed the survey. Of these, 388 (83.4%), including 30 nurse practitioners, provided first-trimester medical abortion, of which 350 (99.4%) used mifepristone. Two hundred and nineteen (47.1%) respondents provided first-trimester surgical abortion, 109 (23.4%) provided second-trimester surgical abortion and 115 (24.7%) provided second- or third-trimester medical abortion. Half of respondents reported fewer than 5 years of experience with any abortion care. Respondents reported providing a total of 48 509 abortions in 2019, including 32 345 (66.7%) first-trimester surgical abortions and 13 429 (27.7%) first-trimester medical abortions. In Quebec, only 1918 (12.5%) of reported abortions were first-trimester medical abortions. Primary care providers provided 34 540 (71.2%) of the total abortions. First-trimester medical abortions represented 44.4% (n = 2334) of all abortions in rural areas, as opposed to 25.6% (n = 11 067) in urban areas. Interpretation: The increased availability of medical abortion facilitates abortion access, especially in primary care and rural settings, and where surgical abortion is not available. Rejuvenation of the workforce is a critical contributor to equitable access to abortion services.
Changes in lung volume estimated by electrical impedance tomography during apnea and high-flow nasal oxygenation: A single-center randomized controlled trial

Background Previous studies concerning humidified, heated high-flow nasal oxygen delivered in spontaneously breathing patients postulated an increase in functional residual capacity as one of its physiological effects. It is unclear wheter this is also true for patients under general anesthesia. Methodology The sincle-center noninferiority trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT NCT03478774). This secondary outcome analysis shows estimated differences in lung volume changes using electrical impedance tomography between different flow rates of 100% oxygen in apneic, anesthetized and paralyzed adults prior to intubation. One hundred and twenty five patients were randomized to five groups with different flow rates of 100% oxygen: i) minimal-flow: 0.25 l.min-1 via endotracheal tube; ii) low-flow: 2 l.min-1 + continuous jaw thrust; iii) medium-flow: 10 l.min-1 + continuous jaw thrust; iv) high-flow: 70l.min-1 + continuous jaw thrust; and v) control: 70 l.min-1 + continuous video-laryngoscopy. After standardized anesthesia induction with non-depolarizing neuromuscular blockade, the 15-minute apnea period and oxygen delivery was started according to the randomized flow rate. Continuous electrical impedance tomography measurements were performed during the 15-minute apnea period. Total change in lung impedance (an estimate of changes in lung volume) over the 15-minute apnea period and times to 25%, 50% and 75% of total impedance change were calculated. Results One hundred and twenty five patients completed the original study. Six patients did not complete the 15-minute apnea period. Due to maloperation, malfunction and artefacts additional 54 measurements had to be excluded, resulting in 65 patients included into this secondary outcome analysis. We found no differences between groups with respect to decrease in lung impedance or curve progression over the observation period. Conclusions Different flow rates of humidified 100% oxygen during apnea result in comparable decreases in lung volumes. The demonstrated increase in functional residual capacity during spontaneous breathing with high-flow nasal oxygenation could not be replicated during apnea under general anesthesia with neuromuscular blockade.
Asebogenin suppresses thrombus formation via inhibition of Syk phosphorylation

Thrombosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Platelet activation by exposed collagen through glycoprotein VI (GPVI) and formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are critical pathogenic factors for arterial and venous thrombosis. Both events are regulated by spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk)‐mediated signalling events. Asebogenin is a dihydrochalcone whose pharmacological effects remain largely unknown. This study aims to investigate the antithrombotic effects of asebogenin and the underlying molecular mechanisms.
Microglia and macrophages contribute to the development and maintenance of sciatica in lumbar disc herniation.

ABSTRACT Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a major cause of sciatica. Emerging evidence indicated that inflammation induced by the herniated nucleus pulposus (NP) tissues plays a major role in the pathogenesis of sciatica. However, the underlying mechanisms are still elusive. Although microglia and macrophages have been implicated in nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain, their roles in LDH-induced sciatica largely remain unknown. This study successfully established and modified a mouse model of LDH. We found that nerve root compression using degenerated NP tissues can initiate remarkable and persistent sciatica, with increased and prolonged macrophage infiltration in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and significant activation of microglia in the spinal dorsal horn. Instead, compression of the nerve root with nondegenerated NP tissues only led to transient sciatica, with transient infiltration and activation of macrophages and microglia. Moreover, continuous treatment of PLX5622, a specific colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor antagonist, ablated both macrophages and microglia, which effectively alleviated LDH-induced sciatica. However, mechanical allodynia reoccurred along with the repopulation of macrophages and microglia after the withdrawal of PLX5622. Using RNA sequencing analysis, the current study depicted transcriptional profile changes of DRG after LDH and identified several macrophage-related potential target candidates. Our results suggested that microglia and macrophages may play an essential role in the development and maintenance of LDH-induced sciatica. Targeting microglia and macrophages may be a promising treatment for chronic LDH-induced sciatica.
A VR-Based Motor Imagery Training System With EMG-Based Real-Time Feedback for Post-Stroke Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is essential for post-stroke body function recovery. Supported by the mirror neuron theory, motor imagery (MI) has been proposed as a potential stroke therapy capable of facilitating the rehabilitation. However, it is often quite difficult to estimate the degree of the participation of patients during traditional MI training as well as difficult to evaluate the efficacy of MI based rehabilitation methods. The goal of this paper is to develop a virtual reality (VR) based MI training system combining electromyography (EMG) based real-time feedback for poststroke rehabilitation, with the immersive scenario of the VR system providing a shooting basketball training for bilateral upper limbs. Through acquiring electroencephalography (EEG) signal, the brain activity in alpha and beta frequency bands was mapped and the correlation analysis could be achieved. Furthermore, EMG data of each patient was collected and calculated as threshold with root-mean-square algorithm for feedback of the performance score of the shooting basketball training in virtual environment. To investigate the feasibility of this newly-built rehabilitation training system, four experiments namely initial assessment experiment, motor imagery (MI), action observation (AO), and combined motor imagery and action observation (MI+AO) were carried out on stroke patients at different recovery stages. The result shows that MI+AO can generate more pronounced event-related desynchronization (ERD) in alpha band compared to other cases and induce relatively obvious ERD in beta band compared to AO, which demonstrates that VR-based observation has ability to facilitate MI training. Furthermore, it has been found that the muscle strength from MI+AO is the highest through the EMG analysis. This proves that the feedback of EMG can be used to quantify patient’s training engagement and promote MI training at a certain extent. Hence, by incorporating such an EMG feedback, a VR-based MI training system has the potential to achieve higher efficacy for post-stroke rehabilitation.
Treatment of refractory organics in biologically treated landfill leachate by a zero valent iron enhanced Peroxone process: Degradation efficiency and mechanism study

A zero valent iron (ZVI) enhanced Peroxone process (ZVI/Peroxone) was used to treat biologically treated landfill leachate (BTL). The treatment efficiency of the ZVI/Peroxone process was compared to single (ZVI, O3 and H2O2) and dual (ZVI/H2O2, Fe0/O3 and Peroxone) processes. The results showed that ZVI can greatly enhance the treatment capability of the Peroxone process, and the color number (CN), absorbance at 254 nm (UV254), and total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiencies were 98.82, 84.30 and 66.38%, respectively. In the ZVI/Peroxone process, higher O3 and ZVI dosages improved organics removal, and H2O2 could promote organics removal within a certain dosage range. However, too much H2O2 decreased treatment efficiency. The best treatment performance by the ZVI/Peroxone process was obtained under acidic conditions. The three-dimensional excitation and emission matrix analysis showed that BTL mainly contained two fluorescent substances, which were fulvic-like substances in the ultraviolet region (Ex/Em = 235–255 nm/410–450 nm) and fulvic-like substances in the visible light region (Ex/Em = 310–360 nm/370–450 nm). Fluorescent substances could be substantially degraded by the ZVI/Peroxone process during the early stages of the reaction. An analysis of ZVI morphology and element valency changes showed that the micro Fe0 particles used in this study remained highly reactive during the process. The ZVI enhanced the homogenous Fenton, heterogeneous Fenton, and coagulation-flocculation effects during the Peroxone process.
Interplay of Coulomb and electron-phonon interactions in graphene

We consider the mutual effect of the electron-phonon and strong Coulomb interactions on each other by summing up leading logarithmic corrections via the renormalization group approach. We find that the Coulomb interaction enhances electron coupling to the intervalley ${A}_{1}$ optical phonons, but not to the intravalley ${E}_{2}$ phonons.
Lack of nuclear clusters in dwarf spheroidal galaxies: implications for massive black holes formation and the cusp/core problem

One of the leading scenarios for the formation of nuclear star clusters in galaxies is related to the orbital decay of globular clusters (GCs) and their subsequent merging, though alternative theories are currently debated. The availability of high-quality data for GCs structural and orbital parameters allow to test different nuclear star cluster formation scenarios. The Fornax dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy is the heaviest satellite of the Milky Way and it is the only known dwarf spheroidal hosting 5 GCs, whereas there are no clear signatures for the presence of a central massive black hole. For this reason, it represents a suited place to study the orbital decay process in dwarf galaxies. In this paper we model the future evolution of the Fornax GCs simulating them and the host galaxy by means of direct $N$-body simulations. Our simulations take in account also the gravitational field generated by the Milky Way. We found that if the Fornax galaxy is embedded in a standard Cold Dark Matter Halo, the nuclear cluster formation would be significantly hampered by the high central galactic mass density. In this context, we discuss the possibility that infalling GCs drive the flattening of the galactic density profile, giving a possible alternative explanation to the so-called cusp/core problem. Moreover, we briefly discuss the link between GC infall process and the absence of massive black holes in the centre of dSphs.
Gut microbiome health and dysbiosis: A clinical primer

The gut microbiome has been referred to as the “forgotten organ. ” Although much about the gut microbiome remains incompletely understood, data on its clinical importance is emerging at rapid speed. Many practicing clinicians may be unaware of the essential role that the microbiome plays in both health and disease. This review aims to improve clinical understanding of the gut microbiome by discussing key terminology and foundational concepts. The role of a healthy microbiome in normal host function is described, as well as the consequences of a disrupted microbiome (i.e., dysbiosis). Management strategies to restore the gut microbiome from a disrupted to a healthy state are also briefly discussed. Lastly, we review emerging areas for therapeutic potential and opportunity to bring determinants of microbiome health from the bench to bedside.
Overview of biological effects of melatonin on testis: A review

Infertility is a major global health issue and male factors account for half of all infertility cases. One of the causes of male infertility is the loss of spermatogonial stem cells, which may occur because of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or genetic defects. In numerous animal species, the evidence suggests the pineal gland and melatonin secretion in their reproductive activities are involved. Recently, considerable attention has pointed to the usage of melatonin in the treatment of diseases. Melatonin is associated with the regulation of circadian and seasonal rhythmic functions, immune system functions, retinal physiology, spermatogenesis and inhibition of tumour growth in different species. Several studies demonstrated that melatonin acts as an anti‐apoptotic, anti‐inflammatory, anticancer and antioxidant agent. Melatonin can also protect testicles and spermatogonia against oxidative damage, chemotherapy drugs, environmental radiation, toxic substances, hyperthermia, ischemia/reperfusion, diabetes‐induced testicular damage, metal‐induced testicular toxicity, improve sperm quality and it affects the testosterone secretion pathway by affecting Leydig cells. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the biological effects of melatonin as a natural antioxidant on testicles and their disorders.
Association Between Markers of Vulnerability for Cannabis-Related Harms and Source of Supply: Secondary Analysis of a Representative Population Survey

Objective In 2018, the sale of non-medical cannabis was authorized in the province of Quebec in Canada, within a public monopoly under the Société Québécoise du Cannabis (SQDC). The objective of this study was to offer a description of the cannabis-using population regarding the sources of cannabis supply and to explore whether at-risk individuals are purchasing cannabis at SQDC. Method We used data from a cross-sectional, representative population survey (age >18 years, n = 1799), the Enquête Québécoise sur le Cannabis, which was completed between February and June 2019. Analyses involved adjusted binary logistic regressions, incorporating population weights, to assess 7 potential indicators of harm. Results The vulnerability profiles of SQDC consumers (47.8%) and those acquiring their cannabis elsewhere (52.2%) were similar in terms of frequency of cannabis use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.12-1.67), motivation to use (aOR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.16-2.46), concomitant consumption of other substances (aOR = 0.80; 95% CI = 0.14-4.75), cannabis-impaired driving behaviours (aOR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.26-3.36), psychological distress (aOR = 0.99; 95% CI = 0.26-3.79), and problematic cannabis use (aOR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.13-1.64). However, SQDC consumers were more likely to be aware of the cannabinoid content of the product purchased compared to those who acquired their cannabis from other sources (aOR = 4.12; 95% CI = 1.10-15.40). Conclusions No association was detected between the source of cannabis supply and potential vulnerability indicators of cannabis-related harms, but SQDC consumers were more aware of the cannabinoid content of the products purchased. These results suggest that the regulated government supply in Quebec is reaching a substantial portion of those with potential high vulnerability to harm. Whether this knowledge translates into a reduction in the negative consequences related to consumption is still to be determined.
Does Crop Diversity Influence Household Food Security and Women’s Individual Dietary Diversity? A Cross-Sectional Study of Malawian Farmers in a Participatory Agroecology and Nutrition Project

Background: Agroecological methods have the potential to impact nutrition and food security, however, to date there is limited research evaluating this approach. Objective: A 5-year participatory research project with farming households in north and central Malawi was designed to train farmers on agroecological practices, alongside raising awareness on nutrition and gender equity. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationships between crop diversity, food security at the household level, and individual diversity for women, within the context of an agroecology, nutrition education, and farmer mentoring program. Methods: Participating farmers were trained in and experimented with different farming methods. These farmers subsequently trained other farmers on these short-term agroecological practices and provided mentorship using community-based educational methods designed to address both household food security and nutrition. In year 4 of the intervention, a cross-sectional survey assessed farm practices, food security, and individual dietary diversity of 851 participating households. Results: Households with lower crop diversity were significantly less likely to be food secure (odds ratios [OR] = 0.829, P < .001). Women in households with higher crop diversity were more likely to have higher individual dietary diversity (OR = 1.120, P < .01), eat vitamin A rich foods (OR = 1.176, P < .01), and legumes, nuts, and seeds (OR = 1.141, P < .01). Conclusions: These findings suggest that within a participatory agroecological training combined with community-based nutrition education with a focus on social equity, crop diversity is associated with less household food insecurity and poorer diet quality for rural farming households. Crop diversity may improve dietary diversity by making nutritious foods more available.
The force acting on a polarizable nanoparticle in the quantized electromagnetic field

We derive an expression for the force acting on a small (still macroscopic) particle in the field of the quantized electromagnetic radiation in any arbitrary quantum state. This result unifies in one simple formula all known expressions for the forces (i.e. van der Waals or frictional) acting on a small particle.