Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Crosstalk between regulatory non-coding RNAs and oxidative stress in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease, which imposes an ever-increasing burden on society. Many studies have indicated that oxidative stress may play an important role in Parkinson’s disease through multiple processes related to dysfunction or loss of neurons. Besides, several subtypes of non-coding RNAs are found to be involved in this neurodegenerative disorder. However, the interplay between oxidative stress and regulatory non-coding RNAs in Parkinson’s disease remains to be clarified. In this article, we comprehensively survey and overview the role of regulatory ncRNAs in combination with oxidative stress in Parkinson’s disease. The interaction between them is also summarized. We aim to provide readers with a relatively novel insight into the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease, which would contribute to the development of pre-clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Incremental value of preoperative right ventricular function in predicting moderate to severe acute kidney injury after heart transplantation

Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) commonly occurs after heart transplantation (HTx), but its association with preoperative right ventricular (RV) function remains unknown. Consequently, we aimed to determine the predictive value of preoperative RV function for moderate to severe AKI after HTx. Materials and methods From 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2019, all the consecutive HTx recipients in our center were enrolled and analyzed for the occurrence of postoperative AKI staged by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Conventional RV function parameters, including RV fractional area change (RVFAC) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), were obtained. The primary endpoint was moderate to severe AKI (the KDIGO stage 2 or 3). The secondary endpoints included the impact of AKI on intensive care unit (ICU) mortality, in-hospital mortality, and 1-year mortality. Results A total of 273 HTx recipients were included in the study. Postoperative AKI occurred in 209 (77%) patients, including 122 (45%) patients in stage 1 AKI, 49 (18%) patients in stage 2 AKI, and 38 (14%) patients in stage 3 AKI. Patients with higher AKI stage had lower baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), more frequent diabetes, higher right atrial pressure (RAP), longer cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) duration, more perioperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusions, and worse preoperative RV function. A multivariate logistic regression model incorporating previous diabetes mellitus [odds ratio (OR): 2.21; 95% CI: 1.06–4.61; P = 0.035], baseline eGFR (OR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.97–0.10; P = 0.037), RAP (OR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.00–1.10; P = 0.041), perioperative RBC (OR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.08–1.28; P < 0.001), and TAPSE (OR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.79–0.91; P < 0.001) was established to diagnose moderate to severe AKI more accurately [the area under the curve (AUC) = 79.8%; Akaike information criterion: 274]. Conclusion Preoperative RV function parameters provide additional predicting value over clinical and hemodynamic parameters, which are imperative for risk stratification in patients with HTx at higher risk of AKI.
Lightning Distribution in Tropical Cyclones Making Landfall in China

Lightning data from the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) are used to document the lightning characteristics in tropical cyclones (TCs) making landfall in China. The landfall period is confined to 48 h prior to and after landfall (t-24∼t+24). Data from a total of 74 TCs are collected from 2010 to 2020, providing 3,293 individual time periods (1-h periods). To examine the radial and asymmetry distributions as a function of TC intensity, landing location, and vertical wind shear, the dataset is classified into two intensity categories, three shear groups, and four landing locations. WWLLN detected lightning activity in all TCs during the 48-h landfall, with lightning rates most frequently appearing between 250 and 600 str h−1. Extreme hourly lightning rates of 3,154 str h−1 and 4,426 str h−1 are observed in the inner core in Tropical Storm Cimaron (2013) and the outer rainbands in Severe Typhoon Matmo (2014), respectively, comparable to lightning activity in mesoscale convection systems on land. TCs landing in Guangdong and Hainan have the largest peak lightning rates, while those landing in Zhejiang and Shanghai show the lowest lightning rates. The maximum lightning density is found in the inner-core region of weak TCs (<32.7 m s−1) that are located approximately 100–200 km away from the coastline. The radial distribution of lightning density at landing stages is consistent with that at mature stages when TCs are over the ocean. However, there is a shift in the lightning maximum from the inner core prior to landfall (t-24∼t0) to the outer rainbands after landfall (t0∼t+24), indicating the effects of dry continental air intrusion and the enhanced surface frictional convergence. Vertical wind shear is the dominant factor in producing lightning and convective asymmetry for TCs landing in all locations. Lightning asymmetries are enhanced with the increase in shear magnitude from low (<5 m s−1) to moderate (5–10 m s−1) and high (>10 m s−1) shear environments, both in weak and strong TCs (≥32.7 m s−1).
SkinNet-16: A deep learning approach to identify benign and malignant skin lesions

Skin cancer these days have become quite a common occurrence especially in certain geographic areas such as Oceania. Early detection of such cancer with high accuracy is of utmost importance, and studies have shown that deep learning- based intelligent approaches to address this concern have been fruitful. In this research, we present a novel deep learning- based classifier that has shown promise in classifying this type of cancer on a relevant preprocessed dataset having important features pre-identified through an effective feature extraction method. Skin cancer in modern times has become one of the most ubiquitous types of cancer. Accurate identification of cancerous skin lesions is of vital importance in treating this malady. In this research, we employed a deep learning approach to identify benign and malignant skin lesions. The initial dataset was obtained from Kaggle before several preprocessing steps for hair and background removal, image enhancement, selection of the region of interest (ROI), region-based segmentation, morphological gradient, and feature extraction were performed, resulting in histopathological images data with 20 input features based on geometrical and textural features. A principle component analysis (PCA)-based feature extraction technique was put into action to reduce the dimensionality to 10 input features. Subsequently, we applied our deep learning classifier, SkinNet-16, to detect the cancerous lesion accurately at a very early stage. The highest accuracy was obtained with the Adamax optimizer with a learning rate of 0.006 from the neural network-based model developed in this study. The model also delivered an impressive accuracy of approximately 99.19%.
Association between osteoporosis or osteopenia and taking antiplatelet agents in general US population of NHANES

Background Osteoporosis (OP) and osteopenia are common bone disorders in old age, and lots of patients suffering from OP or osteopenia need to take antiplatelet agents to treat basic diseases. However, clinical data on the link between osteopenia or OP and antiplatelet agents are limited. Methods Data in this study were collected and screened from the NHANES from 2013 to 2014 and 2017 to 2018. The variables were extracted from interviews and compared between OP or osteopenia participants and normal. The relationship between OP or osteopenia and taking antiplatelet drugs was analyzed by weighted multivariate logistic regression Results After excluding individuals who were not eligible and had invalid data, we finally identified 894 participants for inclusion in the study. We found a negative association between OP or osteopenia and taking antiplatelet agents (OR = 0.53; 95% CI, 0.33–0.84; p < 0.05). These results did not change on multiple imputations (OR = 0.32, 95% CI, 0.19–0.56; p <0.01). In the subgroup analyses, the associations were more significant in women (OR = 0.18, 95% CI, 0.05–0.62; p <0.05). Conclusion This study demonstrated that the association between OP or osteopenia and taking antiplatelet agents was significant. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm the result by extending further research.
Jiawei Runjing Decoction Improves Spermatogenesis of Cryptozoospermia With Varicocele by Regulating the Testicular Microenvironment: Two-Center Prospective Cohort Study

Objective: The aim of the study was to explore the evidence of JWRJD in the treatment of cryptozoospermia. Methods: A total of 162 cryptozoospermia patients with varicocele who refused to undergo surgery were included from January 2021 to December 2021. They were divided into the Jiawei Runjing Decoction group (group A), tamoxifen group (group B), and no treatment group (group C), and after the follow-up for 3 months, therapeutic effectiveness was compared. Network pharmacology was used to analyze and validate the effects and mechanisms of JWRJD. Results: Fifty-eight patients were treated with JWRJD, 55 with tamoxifen, and 49 without any treatment. After treatment, five patients were lost: one in group A, one in group B, and three in group C. The sperm count and the decrease of FSH in group A were significantly higher, but the degree of decline in the testicular volume and the degree of vein expansion have decreased significantly, which were closely related to the testicular volume (TV) [especially changes in the left testicular volume (ΔL-TV)], citric acid (CC) and its changes (ΔCC), and the vein width (VW) [especially left spermatic vein width (L-VW) and mean vein width (M-VW) and their changes (ΔL-VW and ΔM-VW)], as well as the sperm count before the treatment (bSC), which were the significant indexes to predict the therapeutic effect, especially for patients >35 years old and with grade III varicoceles. Network pharmacological analysis verifies that it can be regulated by fluid shear stress and the atherosclerosis pathway to improve the testicular microenvironment for spermatogenesis. Conclusion: JWRJD may promote spermatogenesis in cryptozoospermia patients with varicocele, which may be closely related to improving the testicular microenvironment, especially for >35 year olds and grade III varicocele patients.
Pyoluteorin and 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol are major contributors to Pseudomonas protegens Pf-5 biocontrol against Botrytis cinerea in cannabis

Pseudomonas protegens Pf-5 is an effective biocontrol agent that protects many crops against pathogens, including the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea causing gray mold disease in Cannabis sativa crops. Previous studies have demonstrated the important role of antibiotics pyoluteorin (PLT) and 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) in Pf-5-mediated biocontrol. To assess the potential involvement of PLT and DAPG in the biocontrol exerted by Pf-5 against B. cinerea in the phyllosphere of C. sativa, two knockout Pf-5 mutants were generated by in-frame deletion of genes pltD or phlA, required for the synthesis of PLT or DAPG respectively, using a two-step allelic exchange method. Additionally, two complemented mutants were constructed by introducing a multicopy plasmid carrying the deleted gene into each deletion mutant. In vitro confrontation assays revealed that deletion mutant ∆pltD inhibited B. cinerea growth significantly less than wild-type Pf-5, supporting antifungal activity of PLT. However, deletion mutant ∆phlA inhibited mycelial growth significantly more than the wild-type, hypothetically due to a co-regulation of PLT and DAPG biosynthesis pathways. Both complemented mutants recovered in vitro inhibition levels similar to that of the wild-type. In subsequent growth chamber inoculation trials, characterization of gray mold disease symptoms on infected cannabis plants revealed that both ∆pltD and ∆phlA significantly lost a part of their biocontrol capabilities, achieving only 10 and 19% disease reduction respectively, compared to 40% achieved by inoculation with the wild-type. Finally, both complemented mutants recovered biocontrol capabilities in planta similar to that of the wild-type. These results indicate that intact biosynthesis pathways for production of PLT and DAPG are required for the optimal antagonistic activity of P. protegens Pf-5 against B. cinerea in the cannabis phyllosphere.
Regional cortical perfusion increases induced by a 6-month endurance training in young sedentary adults

Physical inactivity is documented as a health risk factor for chronic diseases, accelerated aging, and cognitive impairment. Physical exercise, on the other hand, plays an important role in healthy aging by promoting positive muscular, cardiovascular, and central nervous system adaptions. Prior studies on the effects of exercise training on cerebral perfusion have focused largely on elderly cohorts or patient cohorts, while perfusion effects of exercise training in young sedentary adults have not yet been fully assessed. Therefore, the present study examined the physiological consequence of a 6-month endurance exercise training on brain perfusion in 28 young sedentary adults randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG; regular physical exercise) or a control group (CG; without physical exercise). The IG performed an extensive running interval training three times per week over 6 months. Performance diagnostics and MRI were performed every 2 months, and training intensity was adapted individually. Brain perfusion measurements with pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling were analyzed using the standard Oxford ASL pipeline. A significant interaction effect between the group and time was found for the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) perfusion, driven by an increase in the IG and a decrease in the CG. Furthermore, a significant time effect was observed in the right middle occipital region in the IG only. Perfusion increases in the right STG, in the ventral striatum, and in the primary motor areas and was significantly associated with increases in maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max). Overall, this study identified region-specific increases in local perfusion in a cohort of young adults that partly correlated with individual performance increases, hence, suggesting exercise dose dependency. Respective adaptations in brain perfusion are discussed in the context of physical exercise-induced vascular plasticity.
Morbidity and mortality in small for gestational age very preterm infants in a middle-income country

Objective To evaluate the impact of small for gestational age (SGA) on outcomes of very preterm infants at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH), Cape Town, South Africa. Study design Data were obtained from the Vermont Oxford Network (VON) GSH database from 2012 to 2018. The study is a secondary analysis of prospectively collected observational data. Fenton growth charts were used to define SGA as birth weight < 10th centile for gestational age. Results Mortality [28.9% vs. 18.5%, adjusted risk ratio (aRR) 2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6–2.7], bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD; 14% vs. 4.5%, aRR 3.7, 95% CI 2.3–6.1), and late-onset sepsis (LOS; 16.7% vs. 9.6%, aRR 2.3, 95% CI 1.6–3.3) were higher in the SGA than in the non-SGA group. Conclusion Small for gestational age infants have a higher risk of mortality and morbidity among very preterm infants at GSH. This may be useful for counseling and perinatal management.
Wall teichoic acid-dependent phagocytosis of intact cell walls of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum elicits IL-12 secretion from macrophages

Selected lactic acid bacteria can stimulate macrophages and dendritic cells to secrete IL-12, which plays a key role in activating innate and cellular immunity. In this study, we investigated the roles of cell wall teichoic acids (WTAs) displayed on whole intact cell walls (ICWs) of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum in activation of mouse macrophages. ICWs were prepared from whole bacterial cells of several lactobacilli without physical disruption, and thus retaining the overall shapes of the bacteria. WTA-displaying ICWs of several L. plantarum strains, but not WTA-lacking ICWs of strains of other lactobacilli, elicited IL-12 secretion from mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) and mouse macrophage-like J774.1 cells. The ability of the ICWs of L. plantarum to induce IL-12 secretion was abolished by selective chemical elimination of WTAs from ICWs, but was preserved by selective removal of cell wall glycopolymers other than WTAs. BMMs prepared from TLR2- or TLR4-deficient mouse could secret IL-12 upon stimulation with ICWs of L. plantarum and a MyD88 dimerization inhibitor did not affect ICW-mediated IL-12 secretion. WTA-displaying ICWs, but not WTA-lacking ICWs, were ingested in the cells within 30 min. Treatment with inhibitors of actin polymerization abolished IL-12 secretion in response to ICW stimulation and diminished ingestion of ICWs. When overall shapes of ICWs of L. plantarum were physically disrupted, the disrupted ICWs (DCWs) failed to induce IL-12 secretion. However, DCWs and soluble WTAs inhibited ICW-mediated IL-12 secretion from macrophages. Taken together, these results show that WTA-displaying ICWs of L. plantarum can elicit IL-12 production from macrophages via actin-dependent phagocytosis but TLR2 signaling axis independent pathway. WTAs displayed on ICWs are key molecules in the elicitation of IL-12 secretion, and the sizes and shapes of the ICWs have an impact on actin remodeling and subsequent IL-12 production.
Comparing Direct Numerical Modeling Predictions With Field Evidence for Methane Vertical Microseepage in Two Geological Settings

The footprints of petroleum microseepage can be associated with chemical and microbial processes in initially homogeneous strata and/or with the fluid transport properties of the rocks through which oil and gas migrate. This work examines the role of such driving factors in two contrasting geological settings by comparing numerical modeling predictions for upward methane microseepage with some field evidence for hydrocarbons transport and accumulation. The two case studies are a monitoring borehole (BH8) from a landfill in southern Ontario, Canada, and an oil well (Saltarin 1A) from the Eastern Llanos Basin in Colombia. Profiles of relative methane concentrations versus depth were generated using a time-dependent, one-dimensional, simulation of the advection-diffusion equation applied to multiple strata of soils, and sediments. The model employs the layered sequences of these two geological settings. The results obtained hinge on the standard permeability values for the rock types involved and their corresponding flow velocities and diffusion coefficients. Resistivity logs were utilized as direct proxies of hydrocarbon concentrations. As additional evidence for petroleum microseepage, experiments of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) were carried out in drilling cuts of Saltarin 1A to measure traces of organic matter free radicals concentrations (OMFRC). Extractable organic matter (EOM) and magnetic susceptibility data were also considered in interpreting the EPR results. Qualitative comparisons between modeled methane profiles and their corresponding resistivity logs suggest that microseepage and hydrocarbon accumulations are conditioned by the fluid transport properties of the rocks contained by BH8 and Saltarin 1A. Moreover, in most of the Saltarin 1A sequence, the OMFRC profiles follow the trends displayed by the resistivity and modeled methane logs. Thus, the EPR data also indicates that hydrocarbon microseepage and accumulation are largely controlled by lithology. Conversely, EOM and magnetic susceptibility appear to be evidence for hydrocarbon-mediated near-surface chemical processes.
YOLO-Rip: A modified lightweight network for Rip currents detection

Rip currents form on beaches worldwide and pose a potential safety hazard for beach visitors. Therefore, effectively identifying rip currents from beach scenes and providing real-time alerts to beach managers and beachgoers is crucial. In this study, the YOLO-Rip model was proposed to detect rip current targets based on current popular deep learning techniques. First, based on the characteristics of a large target size in rip current images, the neck region in the YOLOv5s model was streamlined. The 80 × 80 feature map branches suitable for detecting small targets were removed to reduce the number of parameters, decrease the complexity of the model, and improve the real-time detection performance. Subsequently, we proposed adding a joint dilated convolutional (JDC) module to the lateral connection of the feature pyramid network (FPN) to expand the perceptual field, improve feature information utilization, and reduce the number of parameters, while keeping the model compact. Finally, the SimAM module, which is a parametric-free attention mechanism, was added to optimize the target detection accuracy. Several mainstream neural network models have been used to train self-built rip current image datasets. The experimental results show that (i) the detection results from different models using the same dataset vary greatly and (ii) compared with YOLOv5s, YOLO-Rip increased the mAP value by approximately 4% (to 92.15%), frame rate by 2.18 frames per second, and the model size by only 0.46 MB. The modified model improved the detection accuracy while keeping the model streamlined, indicating its efficiency and accuracy in the detection of rip currents.
Relationship between vascular ageing and left ventricular geometry in patients with newly diagnosed primary aldosteronism

Background Changes in left ventricular (LV) geometry are early manifestations of cardiac damage. The relationship between vascular aging and LV geometry has been reported. However, in newly diagnosed primary aldosteronism (PA), with more severe target organ damage than essential hypertension, the relationship between vascular aging and LV geometry has never been described. Methods We conducted a retrospective study among newly diagnosed PA from 1 January 2017 to 30 September 2021 at the Third Xiangya Hospital. The data of vascular aging parameters were collected, including ankle–brachial index (ABI), brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT). Echocardiography data were collected to assess LV geometry patterns. Results A total of 146 patients with newly diagnosed PA were included. The mean age was 44.77 ± 9.79 years, and 46.58% participants were women. Linear regression analysis adjusting all potential confounders showed that cIMT was significantly associated with LV mass index (LVMI) (β=0.164, P=0.028) and baPWV was significantly associated with relative wall thickness (RWT) (β= 0.00005, P=0.025). Multifactorial adjusted logistic regression analysis demonstrated that cIMT was significantly associated with LV hypertrophy (LVH) (OR=7.421, 95%CI: 1.717–815.688, P=0.021) and baPWV was significantly associated with LV concentric geometry (LVCG) (OR=1.003, 95%CI: 1.001–1.006, P=0.017). Conclusion baPWV was significantly associated with LVCG and cIMT was significantly associated with LVH in newly diagnosed PA. This study provides insights on the importance of baPWV measurement and cIMT measurement in early assessment of cardiac damage in newly diagnosed PA.