Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of functional disability among older adults in Ghana: A multi-level analysis of the study on global ageing and adult health (SAGE) Wave II

Background Functional disability is a common public health problem that affects the health and quality of life of older adults. This causes them to be highly dependent on other members of their family, receive home care, or to be institutionalized. Although functional disability has been widely studied in developed country settings, very limited studies have focused on age-related functional disability in sub-Saharan Africa, and in particular Ghana. The purpose of this study is to assess various factors associated with the difficulties in performing basic and instrumental activities of daily living among older adults in Ghana. Methods This cross-sectional study used data on 1610 older adults aged 50 years and above from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) survey Wave II conducted in Ghana. Nine standard functioning difficulty tools of WHODAS II was used for the analysis. The WHODAS II offers continuous summary scores with higher scores showing higher disability, and vice versa. A multi-level regression model was used to identify individual and household level risk factors linked to the functional disability of older adults. Results Female older adults (53.7%) reported having functional disability. The mean functional disability among older adults aged 50 years and above was 5.2 (± 5.9). Results indicated that older adults who are females, aged 70 years and above, and had three or more chronic conditions had a higher functional disability. Also, older adults who have adequate fruit intake and belong to wealthier households were found to have a lower functional disability. Conclusions The study reveals that functional disability among older adults is frequent in Ghana and is associated with having three or more chronic conditions and being overweight/obese. Prevention of functional disability in old age in Ghana is therefore a matter of great social and economic concern, which calls for coordinate efforts across the board to mitigate this public health challenge.
Heavy flavor azimuthal correlations in cold nuclear matter

Background: It has been proposed that the azimuthal distributions of heavy flavor quark-antiquark pairs may be modified in the medium of a heavy-ion collision. Purpose: This work tests this proposition through next-to-leading order (NLO) calculations of the azimuthal distribution, $d\sigma/d\phi$, including transverse momentum broadening, employing $ $ and fragmentation in exclusive $Q \bar Q$ pair production. While these studies were done for $p+p$, $p + \bar p$ and $p+$Pb collisions, understanding azimuthal angle correlations between heavy quarks in these smaller, colder systems is important for their interpretation in heavy-ion collisions. Methods: First, single inclusive $p_T$ distributions calculated with the exclusive HVQMNR code are compared to those calculated in the fixed-order next-to-leading logarithm approach. Next the azimuthal distributions are calculated and sensitivities to $ $, $p_T$ cut, and rapidity are studied at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV. Finally, calculations are compared to $Q \bar Q$ data in elementary $p+p$ and $p + \bar p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV and 1.96 TeV as well as to the nuclear modification factor $R_{p {\rm Pb}}(p_T)$ in $p+$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02$ TeV measured by ALICE. Results: The low $p_T$ ($p_T < 10$ GeV) azimuthal distributions are very sensitive to the $k_T$ broadening and rather insensitive to the fragmentation function. The NLO contributions can result in an enhancement at $\phi \sim 0$ absent any other effects. Agreement with the data was found to be good. Conclusions: The NLO calculations, assuming collinear factorization and introducing $k_T$ broadening, result in significant modifications of the azimuthal distribution at low $p_T$ which must be taken into account in calculations of these distributions in heavy-ion collisions.
Single-molecule array assay reveals the prognostic impact of plasma LRIG1 in ovarian carcinoma

Abstract Background Ovarian carcinoma is the eighth most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide. The disease is predominantly diagnosed at a late stage. This contributes to high recurrence rates, eventually leading to the development of treatment-resistant disease. Leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains protein 1 (LRIG1) is a transmembrane protein that functions as a tumor suppressor and regulator of growth factor signaling. LRIG1 levels have not been investigated in human plasma previously. Materials and methods A quantitative LRIG1-specific single molecule array assay was developed and validated. LRIG1 levels were quantified in plasma samples from 486 patients with suspicious ovarian masses. Results Among women with ovarian carcinoma, LRIG1 levels were significantly elevated compared to women with benign or borderline type tumors. High LRIG1 plasma levels were associated with worse overall survival and shorter disease-free survival both in the group of all malignant cases and among the stage 3 cases only. LRIG1 was an independent prognostic factor in patients with stage 3 ovarian carcinoma. Conclusion LRIG1 plasma levels were elevated in patients with ovarian carcinoma, and high levels were associated with poor prognosis, suggesting that LRIG1 might be an etiologic factor and a potentially useful biomarker in ovarian carcinoma.
Discrete RNA–DNA hybrid cleavage by the EXD2 exonuclease pinpoints two rate‐limiting steps

EXD2 is a recently identified exonuclease that cleaves RNA and DNA in double‐stranded (ds) forms. It thus serves as a model system for investigating the similarities and discrepancies between exoribonuclease and exodeoxyribonuclease activities and for understanding the nucleic acid (NA) unwinding‐degradation coordination of an exonuclease. Here, using a single‐molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) approach, we show that despite stable binding to both substrates, EXD2 barely cleaves dsDNA and yet displays both exoribonuclease and exodeoxyribonuclease activities toward RNA–DNA hybrids with a cleavage preference for RNA. Unexpectedly, EXD2‐mediated hybrid cleavage proceeds in a discrete stepwise pattern, wherein a sudden 4‐bp duplex unwinding increment and the subsequent dwell constitute a complete hydrolysis cycle. The relatively weak exodeoxyribonuclease activity of EXD2 partially originates from frequent hybrid rewinding. Importantly, kinetic analysis and comparison of the dwell times under varied conditions reveal two rate‐limiting steps of hybrid unwinding and nucleotide excision. Overall, our findings help better understand the cellular functions of EXD2, and the cyclic coupling between duplex unwinding and exonucleolytic degradation may be generalizable to other exonucleases.
Educational mobility and older adults’ working memory updating ability: association and role of resilience

Abstract Objective Previous research revealed that a low childhood socioeconomic status, including low parental education, correlates with impaired executive functioning. However, there is a lack of research on the association of working memory updating (WMU) ability, which is one of the major components of executive functioning, and of resilience with educational mobility. The purpose of the present two studies was to further examine these associations. Method In Study 1, 180, 60–88-year old adults with different levels of educational mobility performed a WMU task. In Study 2, 130, 60–89-year old adults that had experienced different levels of upward educational mobility completed a WMU task and a resilience questionnaire. Results Study 1 revealed that extent of educational mobility was significantly positively associated with WMU ability. Study 2 revealed significant positive associations among extent of educational mobility, resilience, and WMU task performance. Conclusion The results were discussed in terms of possible causal relations between the variables and implications for interventions that aim to enhance upward educational mobility and cognitive functioning in late adulthood.
Medical management of male infertility: now and future

Purpose of review Medical therapy for idiopathic male infertility has historically been empiric and based on small observational studies rather than larger well designed clinical trials. This review is timely and relevant because of the recent publication of several studies that are less susceptible to bias because of being placebo-controlled and more highly powered. Recent findings The largest proportion of recent publications covered antioxidants, with eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) included in this review. The Males, Antioxidants, and Infertility (MOXI) trial is of particular interest, being a large multicenter RCT, which demonstrated no improvement in semen parameters or live-birth rates with antioxidant use. In addition, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5i) have been shown to improve semen parameters, while duloxetine use was not associated with any adverse effects on sperm. Progress was also made in the realm of regenerative medicine, with the realization of the first successful primate model of sperm production from pluripotent stem cells. Summary It may be time to stop recommending antioxidants for idiopathic male infertility given recent studies suggesting lack of efficacy, but given their relative safety, it is reasonable to continue their use until the evidence is overwhelming. Otherwise, stem cell therapy is another anticipated area of research interest.
Critical considerations of the contribution of the corticomotoneuronal pathway to central fatigue

Neural drive originating in higher brain areas reaches exercising limb muscles through the corticospinal‐motoneuronal pathway, which links the motor cortex and spinal motoneurones. The properties of this pathway have frequently been observed to change during fatiguing exercise in ways that could influence the development of central fatigue (i.e. the progressive reduction in voluntary muscle activation). However, based on differences in motor cortical and motoneuronal excitability between exercise modalities (e.g. single‐joint vs. locomotor exercise), there is no characteristic response that allows for a categorical conclusion about the effect of these changes on functional impairments and performance limitations. Despite the lack of uniformity in findings during fatigue, there is strong evidence for marked ‘inhibition’ of motoneurones as a direct result of voluntary drive. Endogenous forms of neuromodulation, such as via serotonin released from neurones, can directly affect motoneuronal output and central fatigue. Exogenous forms of neuromodulation, such as brain stimulation, may achieve a similar effect, although the evidence is weak. Non‐invasive transcranial direct current stimulation can cause transient or long‐lasting changes in cortical excitability; however, variable results across studies cast doubt on its claimed capacity to enhance performance. Furthermore, with these studies, it is difficult to establish a cause‐and‐effect relationship between brain responsiveness and exercise performance. This review briefly summarizes changes in the corticomotoneuronal pathway during various types of exercise, and considers the relevance of these changes for the development of central fatigue, as well as the potential of non‐invasive brain stimulation to enhance motor cortical excitability, motoneuronal output and, ultimately, exercise performance.
Mott--Hubbard transition vs. Anderson localization of correlated, disordered electrons

The phase diagram of correlated, disordered electrons is calculated within dynamical mean–ﬁeld theory using the geometrically averaged (”typical”) local density of states. Correlated metal, Mott insulator and Anderson insulator phases, as well as coexistence and crossover regimes are identiﬁed. The Mott and Anderson insulators are found to be continuously connected.
Synaptic reshaping of plastic neuronal networks by periodic multichannel stimulation with single-pulse and burst stimuli

Synaptic dysfunction is associated with several brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease (PD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Utilizing synaptic plasticity, brain stimulation is capable of reshaping synaptic connectivity. This may pave the way for novel therapies that specifically counteract pathological synaptic connectivity. For instance, in PD, novel multichannel coordinated reset stimulation (CRS) was designed to counteract neuronal synchrony and down-regulate pathological synaptic connectivity. CRS was shown to entail long-lasting therapeutic aftereffects in PD patients and related animal models. This is in marked contrast to conventional deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy, where PD symptoms return shortly after stimulation ceases. In the present paper, we study synaptic reshaping by periodic multichannel stimulation (PMCS) in networks of leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) neurons with spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). During PMCS, phase-shifted periodic stimulus trains are delivered to segregated neuronal subpopulations. Harnessing STDP, PMCS leads to changes of the synaptic network structure. We found that the PMCS-induced changes of the network structure depend on both the phase lags between stimuli and the shape of individual stimuli. Single-pulse stimuli and burst stimuli with low intraburst frequency down-regulate synapses between neurons receiving stimuli simultaneously. In contrast, burst stimuli with high intraburst frequency up-regulate these synapses. We derive theoretical approximations of the stimulation-induced network structure. This enables us to formulate stimulation strategies for inducing a variety of network structures. Our results provide testable hypotheses for future pre-clinical and clinical studies and suggest that periodic multichannel stimulation may be suitable for reshaping plastic neuronal networks to counteract pathological synaptic connectivity. Furthermore, we provide novel insight on how the stimulus type may affect the long-lasting outcome of conventional DBS. This may strongly impact parameter adjustment procedures for clinical DBS, which, so far, primarily focused on acute effects of stimulation.
Pathogenicity and virulence of Mycobacterium leprae

ABSTRACT Leprosy is caused by Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) and M. lepromatosis, an obligate intracellular organism, and over 200,000 new cases occur every year. M. leprae parasitizes histiocytes (skin macrophages) and Schwann cells in the peripheral nerves. Although leprosy can be treated by multidrug therapy, some patients relapse or have a prolonged clinical course and/or experience leprosy reaction. These varying outcomes depend on host factors such as immune responses against bacterial components that determine a range of symptoms. To understand these host responses, knowledge of the mechanisms by which M. leprae parasitizes host cells is important. This article describes the characteristics of leprosy through bacteriology, genetics, epidemiology, immunology, animal models, routes of infection, and clinical findings. It also discusses recent diagnostic methods, treatment, and measures according to the World Health Organization (WHO), including prevention. Recently, the antibacterial activities of anti-hyperlipidaemia agents against other pathogens, such as M. tuberculosis and Staphylococcus aureus have been investigated. Our laboratory has been focused on the metabolism of lipids which constitute the cell wall of M. leprae. Our findings may be useful for the development of future treatments. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
In silico approaches and in vitro assays identify a coumarin derivative as antiviral potential against SARS-CoV-2

Abstract COVID-19, a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, was declared a pandemic in 2020 and created a global crisis in health systems, with more than 545 million confirmed cases and 6.33 million deaths. In this sense, this work aims to identify possible inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp enzyme using in silico approaches. RdRp is a crucial enzyme in the replication and assembly cycle of new viral particles and a critical pharmacological target in the treatment of COVID-19. We performed a virtual screening based on molecular docking from our in-house chemical library, which contains a diversity of 313 structures from different chemical classes. Nine compounds were selected since they showed important interactions with the active site from RdRp. Next, the ADME-Tox in silico predictions served as a filter and selected the three most promising compounds: a coumarin LMed-052, a hydantoin LMed-087, and a guanidine LMed-250. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed details such as changes in the positions of ligands and catalytic residues during the simulations compared to the complex from molecular docking studies. Binding free energy analysis was performed using the MMGBSA method, demonstrating that LMed-052 and LMed-087 have better affinities for the RdRp by energetic contributions to the stability of the complexes when compared to LMed-250. Furthermore, LMed-052 showed significant in vitro inhibition against MHV-3, decreasing 99% of viral titers. Finally, these findings are useful to guide structural modifications aiming to improve the potential of these compounds to act as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Standards and Principles to Enable Interoperability and Integration of 5P Medicine Ecosystems

Health and social care ecosystems are currently a matter of foundational organizational, methodological and technological paradigm changes towards personalized, preventive, predictive, participative precision (5P) medicine. For designing and implementing such advanced ecosystems, an understanding and correct representation of structure, function and relations of their components is inevitable. To guarantee consistent and conformant processes and outcomes, the specifications and principles must be internationally standardized. Summarizing the first author's Keynotes over the last 15 years of pHealth conferences, the paper discusses concepts, standards and principles of 5P medicine ecosystems including their design and implementation. Furthermore, a guidance to find and to deploy corresponding international standards in practical projects is provided.
Damped Bloch oscillations of cold atoms in optical lattices

The paper studies Bloch oscillations of cold neutral atoms in the optical lattice. The effect of spontaneous emission on the dynamics of the system is analyzed both analytically and numerically. The spontaneous emission is shown to cause (i) the decay of Bloch oscillations with the decrement given by the rate of spontaneous emission and (ii) the diffusive spreading of the atoms with a diffusion coefficient depending on both the rate of spontaneous emission and the Bloch frequency.
Thirty Years of Psychological Wisdom Research: What We Know About the Correlates of an Ancient Concept

Psychologists have studied the ancient concept of wisdom for 3 decades. Nevertheless, apparent discrepancies in theories and empirical findings have left the nomological network of the construct unclear. Using multilevel meta-analyses, we summarized wisdom’s correlations with age, intelligence, the Big Five personality traits, narcissism, self-esteem, social desirability, and well-being. We furthermore examined whether these correlations were moderated by the general approach to conceptualizing and measuring wisdom (i.e., phenomenological wisdom as indexed by self-report vs. performative wisdom as indexed by performance ratings), by specific wisdom measures, and by variable-specific factors (e.g., age range, type of intelligence measures, and well-being type). Although phenomenological and performative approaches to conceptualizing and measuring wisdom had some unique correlates, both were correlated with openness, hedonic well-being, and eudaimonic well-being, especially the growth aspect of eudaimonic well-being. Differences between phenomenological and performative wisdom are discussed in terms of the differences between typical and maximal performance, self-ratings and observer ratings, and global and state wisdom. This article will help move the scientific study of wisdom forward by elucidating reliable wisdom correlates and by offering concrete suggestions for future empirical research based on the meta-analytic findings.
Seed priming with brassinolides improves growth and reinforces anti-oxidative defenses under normal and heat stress conditions in seedlings of Brassica juncea.

Environmental stresses pose a major challenge for plant researchers to fulfill increasing food demand. Researchers are trying to generate high-yielding and stress-tolerant or resistant varieties using classical genetics and modern gene-editing tools; however, both approaches have limitations. Chemical treatments emerged as an alternative to improve yield and impart stress resilience. Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a group of phytohormones that regulate various biological processes, including stress management. With foliar spray methods, BR treatments showed promising results but are not economically feasible. We hypothesize that priming of seeds, which requires lesser amounts of BRs, could be equally effective in promoting growth and stress tolerance. Owing to this notion, we analyzed the impact of priming seeds with selected BRs, namely, 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) and 28-homobrassinolide (HBL), in Brassica juncea under normal and heat shock stress conditions. Seeds primed with BRs and grown until seedlings stage at normal conditions (20°C) were subjected to a heat shock (35°C) for a few hours, relating to what plants experience in natural conditions. Heat shock reduced the growth and biomass with an increased accumulation of reactive oxygen species. As anticipated, BRs treatments significantly improved the growth and physiological parameters with an enhanced antioxidant defense under both conditions. Transcriptional analyses revealed that BRs concomitantly induce growth and oxidative stress-responsive gene expression via the canonical BR-signaling pathway. Transfer of unstressed and heat-shock-treated seedlings to field conditions demonstrated the long-term effectivity of BR-priming. Our results showed seed priming with BRs could improve growth and resilience against heat shock; hence, it appears to be a viable strategy to enhance crop yields and stress tolerance. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Genomic and phenotypic changes associated with alterations of migratory behaviour in a songbird

The seasonal migration of birds is a fascinating natural wonder. Avian migratory behaviour changes are common and are probably a polygenic process as avian migration is governed by multiple correlated components with a variable genetic basis. However, the genetic and phenotypic changes involving migration changes are poorly studied. Using one annotated near‐chromosomal level de novo genome assembly, 50 resequenced genomes, hundreds of morphometric data and species distribution information, we investigated population structure and genomic and phenotypic differences associated with differences in migratory behaviour in a songbird species, Yellow‐throated Bunting Emberiza elegans (Aves: Emberizidae). Population genomic analyses reveal extensive gene flow between the southern resident and the northern migratory populations of this species. The hand‐wing index is significantly lower in the resident populations than in the migratory populations, indicating reduced flight efficiency of the resident populations. Here, we discuss the possibility that nonmigratory populations may have originated from migratory populations though migration loss. We further infer that the alterations of genes related to energy metabolism, nervous system and circadian rhythm may have played major roles in regulating migration change. Our study sheds light on phenotypic and polygenic changes involving migration change.