Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Stomach Back-Shu and Front-Mu Points on Insular Functional Connectivity in Functional Dyspepsia Rat Models

Functional Dyspepsia (FD) is a common functional gastrointestinal disease, which can reduce the quality of life in patients. Prior research has indicated that insula is closely related to FD and that acupuncture can regulate the functional connectivity (FC) of FD. Therefore, we hypothesized that acupuncture on FD was effected through the insular pathway. To test our hypothesis, we performed electroacupuncture (EA) on FD rat models and then examined the FC between insula and other brain regions through resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Seven-day-old male infant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into control group, FD model group, and FD acupuncture group, with twelve rats per group (n = 36). Upon establishing successful models, the FD acupuncture group was subjected to EA intervention using Stomach back-shu (BL-21) and front-mu (RN-12) points for ten consecutive days for durations of 20 minutes each day. After intervention, each group was subject to rs-fMRI. The digital image data obtained were analyzed using FC analysis methods. Subsequently, gastric ligation was performed to measure gastric emptying rates. Before EA intervention, the FD model group exhibited decreased functional connections between the insula and a number of brain regions. After EA intervention, FD acupuncture group exhibited increasing FC between insula and regions when compared to the FD model group, such as the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), hippocampal CA3 (CA3), polymorphic layer of dentate gyrus (PoDG), caudate putamen (CPu), and oral pontine reticular nuclei (PnO) (P < 0.05); decreasing FC was also exhibited between insula and regions such as the bilateral primary and secondary motor cortexes (M1/2), paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVA), and limbic cortex (LC). These findings indicate that the effective treatment of FD using EA may be through regulating the abnormal FC between insula and several brain regions, in particular CA3, PoDG, and PVA.
Comparative analysis of chromosome numbers and sex chromosome systems in Paraneoptera (Insecta)

Abstract This article is part (the 4th article) of the themed issue (a monograph) “Aberrant cytogenetic and reproductive patterns in the evolution of Paraneoptera”. The purpose of this article is to consider chromosome structure and evolution, chromosome numbers and sex chromosome systems, which all together constitute the chromosomal basis of reproduction and are essential for reproductive success. We are based on our own observations and literature data available for all major lineages of Paraneoptera including Zoraptera (angel insects), Copeognatha (=Psocoptera; bark lice), Parasita (=Phthiraptera s. str; true lice), Thysanoptera (thrips), Homoptera (scale insects, aphids, jumping plant-lice, whiteflies, and true hoppers), Heteroptera (true bugs), and Coleorrhyncha (moss bugs). Terminology, nomenclature, classification, and the study methods are given in the first paper of the issue (Gavrilov-Zimin et al. 2021).
AMPA Receptors: A Key Piece in the Puzzle of Memory Retrieval

Retrieval constitutes a highly regulated and dynamic phase in memory processing. Its rapid temporal scales require a coordinated molecular chain of events at the synaptic level that support transient memory trace reactivation. AMPA receptors (AMPAR) drive the majority of excitatory transmission in the brain and its dynamic features match the singular fast timescales of memory retrieval. Here we provide a review on AMPAR contribution to memory retrieval regarding its dynamic movements along the synaptic compartments, its changes in receptor number and subunit composition that take place in activity dependent processes associated with retrieval. We highlight on the differential regulations exerted by AMPAR subunits in plasticity processes and its impact on memory recall.
Quantum-Inspired Magnetic Hamiltonian Monte Carlo

Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) is a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm that is able to generate distant proposals via the use of Hamiltonian dynamics, which are able to incorporate first-order gradient information about the target posterior. This has driven its rise in popularity in the machine learning community in recent times. It has been shown that making use of the energy-time uncertainty relation from quantum mechanics, one can devise an extension to HMC by allowing the mass matrix to be random with a probability distribution instead of a fixed mass. Furthermore, Magnetic Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (MHMC) has been recently proposed as an extension to HMC and adds a magnetic field to HMC which results in non-canonical dynamics associated with the movement of a particle under a magnetic field. In this work, we utilise the non-canonical dynamics of MHMC while allowing the mass matrix to be random to create the Quantum-Inspired Magnetic Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (QIMHMC) algorithm, which is shown to converge to the correct steady state distribution. Empirical results on a broad class of target posterior distributions show that the proposed method produces better sampling performance than HMC, MHMC and HMC with a random mass matrix.
Current and Future Anti-VEGF Agents for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Abstract Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of legal blindness in developed countries. Neovascular (ie, wet) AMD is currently managed with intravitreal therapy. Traditional treatments (ie, bevacizumab, ranibizumab, aflibercept) provide high-efficacy therapy but can also require frequent dosing. Newer and future anti-VEGF therapies aim to decrease injection frequency through eitherlonger half life or port-delivery systems (brolucizumab, conbercept, KSI-301, ranibizumab). This review outlines current anti-VEGF treatments and ways by which their duration might be extended.
Exploring Effects of Information Filtering With a VR Interface for Multi-Robot Supervision

Supervising and controlling remote robot systems currently requires many specialised operators to have knowledge of the internal state of the system in addition to the environment. For applications such as remote maintenance of future nuclear fusion reactors, the number of robots (and hence supervisors) required to maintain or decommission a facility is too large to be financially feasible. To address this issue, this work explores the idea of intelligently filtering information so that a single user can supervise multiple robots safely. We gathered feedback from participants using five methods for teleoperating a semi-autonomous multi-robot system via Virtual Reality (VR). We present a novel 3D interaction method to filter the displayed information to allow the user to read information from the environment without being overwhelmed. The novelty of the interface design is the link between Semantic and Spatial filtering and the hierarchical information contained within the multi robot system. We conducted a user study including a cohort of expert robot teleoperators comparing these methods; highlighting the significant effects of 3D interface design on the performance and perceived workload of a user teleoperating many robot agents in complex environments. The results from this experiment and subjective user feedback will inform future investigations that build upon this initial work.
Phoebe: A Learning-based Checkpoint Optimizer

Easy-to-use programming interfaces paired with cloud-scale processing engines have enabled big data system users to author arbitrarily complex analytical jobs over massive volumes of data. However, as the complexity and scale of analytical jobs increase, they encounter a number of unforeseen problems, hotspots with large intermediate data on temporary storage, longer job recovery time after failures, and worse query optimizer estimates being examples of issues that we are facing at Microsoft. To address these issues, we propose Phoebe, an efficient learning-based checkpoint optimizer. Given a set of constraints and an ob-jective function at compile-time, Phoebe is able to determine the decomposition of job plans, and the optimal set of checkpoints to preserve their outputs to durable global storage. Phoebe consists of three machine learning predictors and one optimization module. For each stage of a job, Phoebe makes accurate predictions for: (1) the execution time, (2) the output size, and (3) the start/end time taking into account the inter-stage dependencies. Using these predictions, we formulate checkpoint optimization as an integer programming problem and propose a scalable heuristic algorithm that meets the latency requirement of the production environment. We demonstrate the effectiveness of Phoebe in production work-loads, and show that we can free the temporary storage on hotspots by more than 70% and restart failed jobs 68% faster on average with minimum performance impact. Phoebe also illustrates that adding multiple sets of checkpoints is not cost-efficient, which dramatically reduces the complexity of the optimization.
“I’m Bored and I’m Stressed”: A Qualitative Study of Exclusive Smokers, ENDS Users, and Transitioning Smokers or ENDS Users in the Time of COVID-19

Abstract Background To better understand the various influences of COVID-19 on tobacco use, we examined three different tobacco user groups using qualitative methods. Methods Ten online focus groups with 61 adults from the Atlanta, GA area were held in October–November 2020: four with exclusive smokers (n = 16), three with Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) users (dual and exclusive, n = 22), and three with transitioning (recently quit or currently quitting) smokers and/or ENDS users (n = 23). Results Exclusive smokers reported smoking more frequently, driven by COVID-19-related stress, time at home, and boredom. They were not motivated to quit during the pandemic, and some considered smoking to be protective against COVID-19. ENDS users reported vaping less, with dual users often increasing their smoking; many were concerned about health effects of smoking and ENDS use during the pandemic. Transitioning smokers/ENDS users worried about their health and wanted to quit, but many found the stress of COVID-19 unbearable without tobacco use. Conclusions There were some similarities among the groups, but also pronounced differences. Educational campaigns should capitalize on the teachable moment of COVID-19 to increase perceived risk of smoking. Smokers need access to more adaptive ways to deal with stress (such as mindfulness training) in lieu of smoking and systems-level approaches should address structural determinants of health that cause high levels of stress. The proposed policy to lower nicotine in combusted tobacco products might help smokers choose other means of coping instead of cigarettes by reducing the stress-relieving properties of smoking particularly salient during the pandemic. Implications Smokers believe that cigarettes help them deal with the stresses and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. This needs to be counteracted by educational campaigns to increase perceived harm of smoking, alternative stress-relief strategies, and mandated changes to the combusted tobacco products to make them less appealing.
Evaluating variation in enhanced recovery for colorectal surgery: a report from the Surgical Care Outcomes Assessment Program

Robust data demonstrate that enhanced recovery protocols (ERPs) decrease length of stay, complications and cost. However, little is known about the reasons for variation in compliance with ERPs. The aim of this work was to confirm the efficacy of ERPs in a regional network, and to determine factors that are associated with ERP delivery in diverse hospital settings.
FOXOs: masters of the equilibrium

Forkhead box O (FOXO) transcription factors (TFs) are a subclass of the larger family of forkhead TFs. Mammalians express four members FOXO1, FOXO3, FOXO4, and FOXO6. The interest in FOXO function stems mostly from their observed role in determining lifespan, where in model organisms, increased FOXO activity results in extended lifespan. FOXOs act as downstream of several signaling pathway and are extensively regulated through post‐translational modifications. The transcriptional program activated by FOXOs in various cell types, organisms, and under various conditions has been described and has shed some light on what the critical transcriptional targets are in mediating FOXO function. At the cellular level, these studies have revealed a role for FOXOs in cell metabolism, cellular redox, cell proliferation, DNA repair, autophagy, and many more. The general picture that emerges hereof is that FOXOs act to preserve equilibrium, and they are important for cellular homeostasis. Here, we will first briefly summarize the general knowledge of FOXO regulation and possible functions. We will use genomic stability to illustrate how FOXOs ensure homeostasis. Genomic stability is critical for maintaining genetic integrity, and therefore preventing disease. However, genomic mutations need to occur during lifetime to enable evolution, yet their accumulation is believed to be causative to aging. Therefore, the role of FOXO in genomic stability may underlie its role in lifespan and aging. Finally, we will come up with questions on some of the unknowns in FOXO function, the answer(s) to which we believe will further our understanding of FOXO function and ultimately may help to understand lifespan and its consequences.
MondoA Is Required for Normal Myogenesis and Regulation of the Skeletal Muscle Glycogen Content in Mice

Copyright © 2021 Korean Diabetes Association https://e-dmj.org This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. MondoA Is Required for Normal Myogenesis and Regulation of the Skeletal Muscle Glycogen Content in Mice
Assessment of Insulin Secretion and Insulin Resistance in Human

The impaired insulin secretion and increased insulin resistance (or decreased insulin sensitivity) play a major role in the pathogenesis of all types of diabetes mellitus (DM). It is very important to assess the pancreatic β-cell function and insulin resistance/sensitivity to determine the type of DM and to plan an optimal management and prevention strategy for DM. So far, various methods and indices have been developed to assess the β-cell function and insulin resistance/sensitivity based on static, dynamic test and calculation of their results. In fact, since the metabolism of glucose and insulin is made through a complex process related with various stimuli in several tissues, it is difficult to fully reflect the real physiology. In order to solve the theoretical and practical difficulties, research on new index is still in progress. Also, it is important to select the appropriate method and index for the purpose of use and clinical situation. This review summarized a variety of traditional methods and indices to evaluate pancreatic β-cell function and insulin resistance/sensitivity and introduced novel indices.
Vitellogenin 2 promotes muscle development and stimulates the browning of white fat

Eggs are rich in nutrients and contain a lot of protein. Although eggs have proved to accelerate the growth of C2C12 cells, the regulatory and mechanism of fertilized egg yolk extract (FEYE) on skeletal muscle development and fat metabolism remains unclearly. The mice were treated with FEYE by gavage for 24 d, we found that FEYE can inhibit the expression of skeletal muscle atrophy genes such as MSTN and Murf-1, and up-regulate the expression levels of MYOD, MYOG and Irisin. In addition, the treatment of FEYE induced UCP1 and PGC1α high expression in WAT, thereby causing WAT browning reaction. In order to confirm the composition of FEYE, we performed protein full spectrum identification (LC MS/MS) analysis and found the most enriched component is vitellogenin 2 (VTG2). Therefore, we added the recombinant protein VTG2 to C2C12 cells and found that VTG2 promoted the proliferation and differentiation of C2C12 cells. After that, we further proved that VTG2 inhibited the expression of MSTN and improved the expression of MYOD and Irisin. Finally, the dual luciferase test proved that VTG2 directly inhibited the transcriptional activity of MSTN. Our results conclude that FEYE inhibits the expression of MSTN in muscle tissues by delivering VTG2, thereby promoting skeletal muscle development, and can also promote the expression level of FNDC5 in serum. Then, FNDC5 acts on the fat through the serum, stimulating the browning reaction of white adipocytes. Therefore, VTG2 can be used to stop muscle consumption, improve skeletal muscle aging, and prevent obesity.
LncRNA CRNDE exacerbates neuropathic pain in chronic constriction injury-induced(CCI) rats through regulating miR-146a-5p/WNT5A pathway

ABSTRACT Neuropathic pain (NP) originating from a dysfunction in the nervous system is often intractable and chronic. Many studies have implicated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the physiological and pathological development of NP. The lncRNA colorectal neoplasia differentially expressed gene (CRNDE) has been shown to mediate NP progression. However, further investigations are needed to gain deeper understanding of the specific mechanisms governing CRNDE in NP etiopathology. In this study, we successfully used chronic constrictive injury (CCI)-induced rats to establish an NP model with intrathecal injection, and confirmed the upregulation of CRNDE in CCI-induced rats. Moreover, silencing of CRNDE relieved mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia, and neuroinflammation in the NP model. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that miR-146a-5p binds to CRNDE. Our findings validated that miR-146a-5p was a target of CRNDE and that the expression of miR-146a-5p was decreased in CCI rats. Furthermore, miR-151A-3p was found to exert a negative regulatory effect on WNT5A. In addition, knockdown of WNT5A alleviated the pain-related behavior and inflammatory response of NP in vivo. Finally, we demonstrated that CRNDE contributed to the progression of CCI-induced NP via competitive binding to miR-146a-5p to upregulate WNT5A. The present study offers novel insights that may be translated into improved therapies for NP.
Loading Single‐Ni Atoms on Assembled Hollow N‐Rich Carbon Plates for Efficient CO2 Electroreduction

The rational design of catalysts’ spatial structure is vitally important to boost catalytic performance through exposing the active sites, enhancing the mass transfer, and confining the reactants. Herein, a dual‐linker zeolitic tetrazolate framework‐engaged strategy is developed to construct assembled hollow plates (AHP) of N‐rich carbon (NC), which is loaded with single‐Ni atoms to form a highly efficient electrocatalyst (designated as Ni‐NC(AHP)). In the carbonization process, the thermally unstable linker (5‐aminotetrazole) serves as the self‐sacrificial template and the other linker (2‐methylimidazole) mainly serves as the carbon and nitrogen source to form hollow NC matrix. The formed Ni‐NC(AHP) catalyst possesses enhanced mesoporosity and more available surface area, thus promoting mass transport and affording abundant accessible single‐Ni sites. These features contribute to remarkable performance for electrochemical CO2 reduction with exceptionally high selectivity of nearly 100% towards CO in a wide potential range and dramatically enhanced CO partial current density.
Kinetic and hybrid modeling for yeast astaxanthin production under uncertainty

Astaxanthin is a high‐value compound commercially synthesized through Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous fermentation. Using mixed sugars decomposed from biowastes for yeast fermentation provides a promising option to improve process sustainability. However, little effort has been made to investigate the effects of multiple sugars on X. dendrorhous biomass growth and astaxanthin production. Furthermore, the construction of a high‐fidelity model is challenging due to the system's variability, also known as batch‐to‐batch variation. Two innovations are proposed in this study to address these challenges. First, a kinetic model was developed to compare process kinetics between the single sugar (glucose) based and the mixed sugar (glucose and sucrose) based fermentation methods. Then, the kinetic model parameters were modeled themselves as Gaussian processes, a probabilistic machine learning technique, to improve the accuracy and robustness of model predictions. We conclude that although the presence of sucrose does not affect the biomass growth kinetics, it introduces a competitive inhibitory mechanism that enhances astaxanthin accumulation by inducing adverse environmental conditions such as osmotic gradients. Moreover, the hybrid model was able to greatly reduce model simulation error and was particularly robust to uncertainty propagation. This study suggests the advantage of mixed sugar‐based fermentation and provides a novel approach for bioprocess dynamic modeling.
Novel therapies for immune thrombocytopenia

Current therapies for immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) are successful in providing a haemostatic platelet count in over two‐thirds of patients. Still, some patients have an inadequate response and there is a need for other therapies. A number of novel therapies for ITP are currently being developed based upon the current pathophysiology of ITP. Many therapies are targetted at reducing platelet destruction by decreasing anti‐platelet antibody production by immunosuppression with monoclonal antibodies targetted against CD40, CD38 and the immunoproteasome or physically reducing the anti‐platelet antibody concentration by inhibition of the neonatal Fc receptor. Others target the phagocytic system by inhibiting FcγR function with staphylococcal protein A, hypersialylated IgG, polymeric Fc fragments, or Bruton kinase. With a recognition that platelet destruction is also mediated by complement, inhibitors of C1s are also being tested. Inhibition of platelet desialylation may also play a role. Other novel therapies promote platelet production with new oral thrombopoietin receptor agonists or the use of low‐level laser light to improve mitochondrial activity and prevent megakaryocyte apoptosis. This review will focus on these novel mechanisms for treating ITP and assess the status of treatments currently under development. Successful new treatments for ITP might also provide a pathway to treat other autoimmune disorders.
Plasmablastic lymphomas show restricted EBV latency profile and MYC gene aberrations

Abstract The pathogenesis of plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) involves the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and MYC gene aberrations. We aimed to determine the EBV latent infection pattern and frequency of MYC gene aberrations in PBLs. Immunohistochemistry was performed using antibodies for EBNA1, EBNA2, and LMP1 while fluorescence in situ hybridization was performed using a MYC probe. The patient cohort comprised 49 adult cases (44 were HIV-positive and three were HIV-negative). Forty-one cases were EBV-positive with 11 EBNA1-positive cases, all cases EBNA2-negative, and four LMP1-positive cases. Latency 0 was determined in 29 cases, latency I in eight cases, and latency II in four cases. The MYC gene was rearranged in eight cases, showed copy number alterations in 11 cases and, no rearrangement in 11 cases. This is the largest cohort of PBLs from South Africa to show a predominantly restricted EBV latency pattern with MYC gene aberrations as a common finding.