Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Socio-Territorial Inequities in the French National Breast Cancer Screening Programme—A Cross-Sectional Multilevel Study

Simple Summary France implemented a national breast cancer screening programme in 2004, which, despite recommendations, still coexists with opportunistic screening practices. We aimed to study socio-territorial inequities in participation in the 2013–2014 screening campaign, using multilevel models. With a representative sample of 42% of the estimated eligible population, we found that the organized programme does not erase social or territorial inequities in participation. Social inequities, at multiple levels, were found in nearly all départements, whereas territorial inequities seemed more context dependent. The impact of the coexistence with opportunistic screening, beyond any control and evaluation, is adding more risks (over-diagnosis, over-treatment) and leads to underestimating the true coverage of the population, mainly in the wealthiest, therefore leading to an underestimation of the true social gradient in participation. The French breast cancer screening programme needs to evolve to be more efficient in coverage, notably through the reduction of the unfair inequities in participation. Abstract Background. France implemented in 2004 the French National Breast Cancer Screening Programme (FNBCSP). Despite national recommendations, this programme coexists with non-negligible opportunistic screening practices. Aim. Analyse socio-territorial inequities in the 2013–2014 FNBCSP campaign in a large sample of the eligible population. Method. Analyses were performed using three-level hierarchical generalized linear model. Level one was a 10% random sample of the eligible population in each département (n = 397,598). For each woman, age and travel time to the nearest accredited radiology centre were computed. These observations were nested within 22,250 residential areas called “Îlots Regroupés pour l’Information Statistique” (IRIS), for which the European Deprivation Index (EDI) is defined. IRIS were nested within 41 départements, for which opportunistic screening rates and gross domestic product based on purchasing power parity were available, deprivation and the number of radiology centres for 100,000 eligible women were computed. Results. Organized screening uptake increased with age (OR1SD = 1.05 [1.04–1.06]) and decreased with travel time (OR1SD = 0.94 [0.93–0.95]) and EDI (OR1SD = 0.84 [0.83–0.85]). Between départements, organized screening uptake decreased with opportunistic screening rate (OR1SD = 0.84 [0.79–0.87]) and départements deprivation (OR1SD = 0.91 [0.88–0.96]). Association between EDI and organized screening uptake was weaker as opportunistic screening rates and as département deprivation increased. Heterogeneity in FNBCSP participation decreased between IRIS by 36% and between départements by 82%. Conclusion. FNBCSP does not erase socio-territorial inequities. The population the most at risk of dying from breast cancer is thus the less participating. More efforts are needed to improve equity.
Case report of a giant inguinal hernia causing intestinal obstruction

Although the natural course of the disease is relatively slow it eventually reaches the size that severely impairs the patient ability to perform daily activities. The mainstay of treatment remained the use of different types of inguinal belts that were supposed to maintain the hernia sac inside the body cavity. To successfully apply the hernia belt, hernia was first manually reduced and the belt custom made for patient was applied (Figure 3 and 4). Surgery is the only definitive treatment for this condition, and hundreds of repairs have been described in the literature. The most recent one is the concept of tension free repair which remains popular among surgeons today. It is interesting to note that numerous literatures have been published on this disease in the small anatomical space despite its simplicity. Since the past decade most publications focused on laparoscopic surgery and different types of prosthetic mesh.
Formation of Multicolor Nanogels Based on Cationic Polyfluorenes and Poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic monoethyl ester): Potential Use as pH-Responsive Fluorescent Drug Carriers

In this study, we employed the copolymer poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic monoethyl ester) (PMVEMA-Es) and three fluorene-based cationic conjugated polyelectrolytes to develop fluorescent nanoparticles with emission in the blue, green and red spectral regions. The size, Zeta Potential, polydispersity, morphology, time-stability and fluorescent properties of these nanoparticles were characterized, as well as the nature of the interaction between both PMVEMA-Es and fluorescent polyelectrolytes. Because PMVEMA-Es contains a carboxylic acid group in its structure, the effects of pH and ionic strength on the nanoparticles were also evaluated, finding that the size is responsive to pH and ionic strength, largely swelling at physiological pH and returning to their initial size at acidic pHs. Thus, the developed fluorescent nanoparticles can be categorized as pH-sensitive fluorescent nanogels, since they possess the properties of both pH-responsive hydrogels and nanoparticulate systems. Doxorubicin (DOX) was used as a model drug to show the capacity of the blue-emitting nanogels to hold drugs in acidic media and release them at physiological pH, from changes in the fluorescence properties of both nanoparticles and DOX. In addition, preliminary studies by super-resolution confocal microscopy were performed, regarding their potential use as image probes.
Effects of Intradialytic Exercise on Dialytic Parameters, Health-Related Quality of Life, and Depression Status in Hemodialysis Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Exercise is fundamentally important in managing chronic diseases and improving health-related quality of life (HRQL). However, whether intradialytic exercise is safe through assessment of changes in dialytic parameters and has a positive impact on HRQL and depression status of hemodialysis patients requires further research with diverse racial and cultural populations to identify. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of intradialytic exercise on dialytic parameters, HRQL, and depression status in hemodialysis patients. A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a medical center in Northern Taiwan. Sixty-four hemodialysis patients were recruited using stratified random sampling. Participants were randomized into an experimental group (EG, n = 32) or a control group (CG, n = 32). The EG received a 12-week intradialytic exercise program while the CG maintained their usual lifestyles. Dialytic parameters, HRQL, and depression status were collected at baseline and at 12 weeks. The results indicated no differences in the dialytic parameters from the baseline between both groups. However, the EG had increased HRQL (ß = 22.6, p < 0.001) and reduced depression status (ß = −7.5, p = 0.02) at 12 weeks compared to the CG. Therefore, a 12-week intradialytic exercise regime is safe and effective in improving HRQL and reducing depression status for hemodialysis patients.
Association between different types of plant-based diet and dyslipidaemia in Korean adults

Abstract This study investigated the association between the different types of plant-based diets and dyslipidaemia in Korean adults using data from the nationally representative sample. Using the 2012–2016 Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey data, a total of 14 167 adults (≥19 years old) participated in this study. Dietary intake was assessed by a semi-quantitative FFQ. Three different plant-based diet indices (overall plant-based diet index (PDI), healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI), unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI)), were calculated. Dyslipidaemia and its components (hypertriacylglycerolaemia, hypercholesterolaemia, low HDL-cholesterol, high LDL-cholesterol, use of anti-hyperlipidaemia agent) were measured. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations between plant-based diet and dyslipidaemia and individual lipid disorders. Totally, 47% of overall population had dyslipidaemia. Individual in the highest quintile of uPDI had 22% greater odds of dyslipidaemia (95 % CI 1·05, 1·41) and 48 % higher odds of hypertriacylglycerolaemia (95 % CI 1·21, 1·81) and 16% higher odds of low HDL-cholesterol (OR: 1·16, 95 % CI 1·00, 1·35) than those in the lowest quintile of uPDI. PDI was associated with 16 % higher odds of low HDL-cholesterol, and hPDI was associated with 25% lower odds of high LDL-cholesterol. However, neither PDI nor hPDI was significantly associated with the prevalence of dyslipidaemia. Greater adherence to unhealthful plant-based diets was associated with greater odds of the dyslipidaemia and its components suggesting the importance of the quality of plant-based diet in South Korean adults for dyslipidaemia prevention.
Effects of Duodenal 5-Hydroxytryptophan Perfusion on Melatonin Synthesis in GI Tract of Sheep

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential effects of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) duodenal perfusion on melatonin (MT) synthesis in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of sheep. 5-hydroxytryptophan is a precursor in the melatonin synthetic pathway. The results showed that this method significantly increased melatonin production in the mucosa of all segments in GI tract including duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum and colon. The highest melatonin level was identified in the colon and this indicates that the microbiota located in the colon may also participate in the melatonin production. In addition, portion of the melatonin generated by the GI tract can pass the liver metabolism and enters the circulation via portal vein. The current study provides further evidence to support that GI tract is the major site for melatonin synthesis and the GI melatonin also contributes to the circulatory melatonin level since plasma melatonin concentrations in 5-HTP treated groups were significantly higher than those in the control group. In conclusion, the results show that 10–50 mg of 5-HTP flowing into the duodenum within 6 h effectively improve the production of melatonin in the GI tract and melatonin concentration in sheep blood circulation during the day.
Prediction of Drug–Target Interactions by Combining Dual-Tree Complex Wavelet Transform with Ensemble Learning Method

Identification of drug–target interactions (DTIs) is vital for drug discovery. However, traditional biological approaches have some unavoidable shortcomings, such as being time consuming and expensive. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel and effective computational methods to predict DTIs in order to shorten the development cycles of new drugs. In this study, we present a novel computational approach to identify DTIs, which uses protein sequence information and the dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DTCWT). More specifically, a position-specific scoring matrix (PSSM) was performed on the target protein sequence to obtain its evolutionary information. Then, DTCWT was used to extract representative features from the PSSM, which were then combined with the drug fingerprint features to form the feature descriptors. Finally, these descriptors were sent to the Rotation Forest (RoF) model for classification. A 5-fold cross validation (CV) was adopted on four datasets (Enzyme, Ion Channel, GPCRs (G-protein-coupled receptors), and NRs (Nuclear Receptors)) to validate the proposed model; our method yielded high average accuracies of 89.21%, 85.49%, 81.02%, and 74.44%, respectively. To further verify the performance of our model, we compared the RoF classifier with two state-of-the-art algorithms: the support vector machine (SVM) and the k-nearest neighbor (KNN) classifier. We also compared it with some other published methods. Moreover, the prediction results for the independent dataset further indicated that our method is effective for predicting potential DTIs. Thus, we believe that our method is suitable for facilitating drug discovery and development.
Switchable and Tunable Deep Beamformer Using Adaptive Instance Normalization for Medical Ultrasound

Recent proposals of deep learning-based beamformers for ultrasound imaging (US) have attracted significant attention as computational efficient alternatives to adaptive and compressive beamformers. Moreover, deep beamformers are versatile in that image post-processing algorithms can be readily combined. Unfortunately, with the existing technology, a large number of beamformers need to be trained and stored for different probes, organs, depth ranges, operating frequency, and desired target ‘styles’, demanding significant resources such as training data, etc. To address this problem, here we propose a switchable and tunable deep beamformer that can switch between various types of outputs such as DAS, MVBF, DMAS, GCF, etc., and also adjust noise removal levels at the inference phase, by using a simple switch or tunable nozzle. This novel mechanism is implemented through Adaptive Instance Normalization (AdaIN) layers, so that distinct outputs can be generated using a single generator by merely changing the AdaIN codes. Experimental results using B-mode focused ultrasound confirm the flexibility and efficacy of the proposed method for various applications.
Detection of Morphological Abnormalities in Schizophrenia: An Important Step to Identify Associated Genetic Disorders or Etiologic Subtypes

Current research suggests that alterations in neurodevelopmental processes, involving gene X environment interactions during key stages of brain development (prenatal period and adolescence), are a major risk for schizophrenia. First, epidemiological studies supporting a genetic contribution to schizophrenia are presented in this article, including family, twin, and adoption studies. Then, an extensive literature review on genetic disorders associated with schizophrenia is reviewed. These epidemiological findings and clinical observations led researchers to conduct studies on genetic associations in schizophrenia, and more specifically on genomics (CNV: copy-number variant, and SNP: single nucleotide polymorphism). The main structural (CNV) and sequence (SNP) variants found in individuals with schizophrenia are reported here. Evidence of genetic contributions to schizophrenia and current knowledge on genetic syndromes associated with this psychiatric disorder highlight the importance of a clinical genetic examination to detect minor physical anomalies in individuals with ultra-high risk of schizophrenia. Several dysmorphic features have been described in schizophrenia, especially in early onset schizophrenia, and can be viewed as neurodevelopmental markers of vulnerability. Early detection of individuals with neurodevelopmental abnormalities is a fundamental issue to develop prevention and diagnostic strategies, therapeutic intervention and follow-up, and to ascertain better the underlying mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
Epithelial Wound Healing Coordinates Distinct Actin Network Architectures to Conserve Mechanical Work and Balance Power

How cells with diverse morphologies and cytoskeletal architectures modulate their mechanical behaviors to drive robust collective motion within tissues is poorly understood. During wound repair within epithelial monolayers in vitro, cells coordinate the assembly of branched and bundled actin networks to regulate the total mechanical work produced by collective cell motion. Using traction force microscopy, we show that the balance of actin network architectures optimizes the wound closure rate and the magnitude of the mechanical work. These values are constrained by the effective power exerted by the monolayer, which is conserved and independent of actin architectures. Using a cell-based physical model, we show that the rate at which mechanical work is done by the monolayer is limited by the transformation between actin network architectures and differential regulation of cell-substrate friction. These results and our proposed molecular mechanisms provide a robust quantitative model for how cells collectively coordinate their non-equilibrium behaviors to dynamically regulate tissue-scale mechanical output.
Protective Effects of Sal B on Oxidative Stress-Induced Aging by Regulating the Keap1/Nrf2 Signaling Pathway in Zebrafish

The models of oxidative damage-induced aging were established by adding ethanol (C2H5OH), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) to zebrafish embryos in this research. To find effective protective drugs/foods, Salvianolic acid B (Sal B) was added after the embryos were treated by these oxidative reagents. After being treated with ethanol, H2O2 and 6-OHDA, the morphological changes were obvious and the deformities included spinal curvature, heart bleeding, liver bleeding, yolk sac deformity and pericardial edema, and the expression of oxidative stress-related genes Nrf2b, sod1 and sod2 and aging-related genes myl2a and selenbp1 were significantly up-regulated compared to the control group. While after adding 0.05 μg/mL and 0.5 μg/mL Sal B to the ethanol-treated group, death rates and MDA levels decreased, the activity of antioxidant enzyme (SOD, CAT and GSH-Px) changed and Nrf2b, sod1, sod2, myl2a, selenbp1, p53 and p21 were down-regulated compared to the ethanol-treated group. The bioinformatics analysis also showed that oxidative stress-related factors were associated with a variety of cellular functions and physiological pathways. In conclusion, Sal B can protect against aging through regulating the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway as well as antioxidative genes and enzyme activity.
HLF Expression Defines the Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell State.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) sustain blood cell homeostasis throughout life and can regenerate all blood lineages following transplantation. Despite this clear functional definition, highly enriched isolation of human HSCs can currently only be achieved through combinatorial assessment of multiple surface antigens. While several transgenic HSC reporter mouse strains have been described, no analogous approach to prospectively isolate human HSCs has been reported. To identify genes with the most selective expression in human HSCs, we profiled population- and single-cell transcriptomes of un-expanded and ex vivo cultured cord blood-derived HSPCs as well as peripheral blood, adult bone marrow, and fetal liver. Based on these analyses, we propose the master transcription factor HLF (Hepatic Leukemia Factor) as one of the most specific HSC marker genes. To directly track its expression in human hematopoietic cells, we developed a genomic HLF reporter strategy, capable of selectively labeling the most immature blood cells based on a single engineered parameter. Most importantly, HLF-expressing cells comprise all of the stem cell activity in culture and in vivo during serial transplantation. Taken together, these results experimentally establish HLF as a defining gene of the human hematopoietic stem cell state and outline a new approach to continuously mark these cells with high fidelity.
Effectiveness of Quaternary Ammonium in Reducing Microbial Load on Eggs

Table eggs are an affordable yet nutritious protein source for humans. Unfortunately, eggs are a vector for bacteria that could cause foodborne illness. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a quaternary ammonium compound (quat) sanitizer against aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeast, and mold load on the eggshell surface of free-range and commercial farms and the post-treatment effect on microbial load during storage. Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeast, and molds were enumerated using plate count techniques. The efficacy of the quaternary ammonium sanitizer (quat) was tested using two levels: full factorial with two replicates for corner points, factor A (maximum: 200 ppm, minimum: 100 ppm) and factor B (maximum: 15 min, minimum: 5 min). Quat sanitizer significantly (p < 0.05) reduced approximately 4 log10 CFU/cm2 of the aerobic mesophilic bacteria, 1.5 to 2.5 log10 CFU/cm2 of the mold population, and 1.5 to 2 log10 CFU/cm2 of the yeast population. However, there was no significant (p ≥ 0.05) response observed between individual factor levels (maximum and minimum), and two-way interaction terms were also not statistically significant (p ≥ 0.05). A low (<1 log10 CFU/cm2) aerobic mesophilic bacteria trend was observed when shell eggs were stored in a cold environment up to the production expiry date. No internal microbial load was observed; thus, it was postulated that washing with quat sanitizer discreetly (without physically damaging the eggshell) does not facilitate microbial penetration during storage at either room temperature or cold storage. Current study findings demonstrated that the quat sanitizer effectively reduced the microbial population on eggshells without promoting internal microbial growth.
Genomic Scan of Male Fertility Restoration Genes in a ‘Gülzow’ Type Hybrid Breeding System of Rye (Secale cereale L.)

Efficient and stable restoration of male fertility (Rf) is a prerequisite for large-scale hybrid seed production but remains an inherent issue in the predominant fertility control system of rye (Secale cereale L.). The ‘Gülzow’ (G)-type cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) system in hybrid rye breeding exhibits a superior Rf. While having received little scientific attention, one major G-type Rf gene has been identified on 4RL (Rfg1) and two minor genes on 3R (Rfg2) and 6R (Rfg3) chromosomes. Here, we report a comprehensive investigation of the genetics underlying restoration of male fertility in a large G-type CMS breeding system using recent advents in rye genomic resources. This includes: (I) genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on G-type germplasm; (II) GWAS on a biparental mapping population; and (III) an RNA sequence study to investigate the expression of genes residing in Rf-associated regions in G-type rye hybrids. Our findings provide compelling evidence of a novel major G-type non-PPR Rf gene on the 3RL chromosome belonging to the mitochondrial transcription termination factor gene family. We provisionally denote the identified novel Rf gene on 3RL RfNOS1. The discovery made in this study is distinct from known P- and C-type systems in rye as well as recognized CMS systems in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). We believe this study constitutes a stepping stone towards understanding the restoration of male fertility in the G-type CMS system and potential resources for addressing the inherent issues of the P-type system.
Non-Coding RNAs in Normal B-Cell Development and in Mantle Cell Lymphoma: From Molecular Mechanism to Biomarker and Therapeutic Agent Potential

B-lymphocytes are essential for an efficient immune response against a variety of pathogens. A large fraction of hematologic malignancies are of B-cell origin, suggesting that the development and activation of B cells must be tightly regulated. In recent years, differentially expressed non-coding RNAs have been identified in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) tumor samples as opposed to their naive, normal B-cell compartment. These aberrantly expressed molecules, specifically microRNAs (miRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), have a role in cellular growth and survival pathways in various biological models. Here, we provide an overview of current knowledge on the role of non-coding RNAs and their relevant targets in B-cell development, activation and malignant transformation, summarizing the current understanding of the role of aberrant expression of non-coding RNAs in MCL pathobiology with perspectives for clinical use.