Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genome Sequence of a Clostridioides difficile Strain Isolated from Feces from a Patient in Southern Thailand

Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic, toxin-producing bacillus that is linked to antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of a C. difficile strain isolated from stool from a patient, using next-generation sequencing (MGISEG-2000). De novo assembly revealed a genome length of 4,208,266 bp. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) results showed that the isolate belonged to sequence type 23 (ST23). ABSTRACT Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic, toxin-producing bacillus that is linked to antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of a C. difficile strain isolated from stool from a patient, using next-generation sequencing (MGISEG-2000). De novo assembly revealed a genome length of 4,208,266 bp. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) results showed that the isolate belonged to sequence type 23 (ST23).
SNMMI Procedure Standard/EANM Practice Guideline for Palliative Nuclear Medicine Therapies of Bone Metastases

University of Pennsylvania, Department of Radiology; School of Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Technische Universit€at M€unchen, Munich, Germany; Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Department of Radiology; Mayo Clinic Rochester, Department of Radiology; Washington University, Department of Radiology, St. Louis; Technical University of Munich, Department of Nuclear Medicine; and University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati
A centronuclear myopathy‐causing mutation in dynamin‐2 disrupts neuronal morphology and excitatory synaptic transmission in a murine model of the disease

Dynamin‐2 is a large GTPase, a member of the dynamin superfamily that regulates membrane remodelling and cytoskeleton dynamics. Mutations in the dynamin‐2 gene (DNM2) cause autosomal dominant centronuclear myopathy (CNM), a congenital neuromuscular disorder characterised by progressive weakness and atrophy of the skeletal muscles. Cognitive defects have been reported in some DNM2‐linked CNM patients suggesting that these mutations can also affect the central nervous system (CNS). Here we studied how a dynamin‐2 CNM‐causing mutation influences the CNS function.
Agential autonomy and biological individuality

What is a biological individual? How are biological individuals individuated? How can we tell how many individuals there are in a given assemblage of biological entities? The individuation and differentiation of biological individuals are central to the scientific understanding of living beings. I propose a novel criterion of biological individuality according to which biological individuals are autonomous agents. First, I articulate an ecological–dynamical account of natural agency according to which, agency is the gross dynamical capacity of a goal‐directed system to bias its repertoire to respond to its conditions as affordances. Then, I argue that agents or agential dynamical systems can be agentially dependent on, or agentially autonomous from, other agents and that this agential dependence/autonomy can be symmetrical or asymmetrical, strong or weak. Biological individuals, I propose, are all and only those agential dynamical systems that are strongly agentially autonomous. So, to determine how many individuals there are in a given multiagent aggregate, such as multicellular organism, a colony, symbiosis, or a swarm, we first have to identify how many agential dynamical systems there are, and then what their relations of agential dependence/autonomy are. I argue that this criterion is adequate to the extent that it vindicates the paradigmatic cases, and explains why the paradigmatic cases are paradigmatic, and why the problematic cases are problematic. Finally, I argue for the importance of distinguishing between agential and causal dependence and show the relevance of agential autonomy for understanding the explanatory structure of evolutionary developmental biology.
Beneficial Effects of Two Marine Oxygen Carriers, M101 and M201, on Human Islet Quality in Hypoxic Culture Conditions

High pancreatic islet sensitivity to hypoxia is an important issue in the field of pancreatic islet transplantation. A promising strategy to improve islet oxygenation in hypoxic conditions is to leverage the properties of hemoglobin as a natural carrier of oxygen. Studies using human or bovine hemoglobin have failed to demonstrate efficacy, probably due to the molecule being unstable in the absence of protective erythrocytes. Recently, marine worm hemoglobins have been shown to be more stable and to possess higher oxygen carrier potential, with 156 oxygen binding sites per molecule compared to four in humans. Previous studies have shown the beneficial effects of two marine worm hemoglobins, M101 and M201, on nonhuman pancreatic islets. However, their effects on human islets have not been tested or compared. In this study, we assessed the impact of both molecules during human islet culture in vitro under hypoxic conditions. Human islets were exposed to both molecules for 24 h in high islet density-induced hypoxia [600 islet equivalents (IEQ)/cm²]. M101 and M201 reduced the release of hypoxic (VEGF) and apoptotic (cyt c) markers in the medium after 24-h culture. Human islet function or viability was improved in vitro in the presence of these oxygen carriers. Thus, the utilization of M101 or M201 could be a safe and easy way to improve human islet oxygenation and survival in hypoxic conditions as observed during islet culture prior to transplantation or islet encapsulation.
ENERGY CONVERSION OF FREE ELECTRON LASER

According to the Weizsacker-Williams approximation, FEL Is simulated by collision between the relativistic electron and the pseudophoton, and the photon is scattered by the electron. According to this physical model, we studied the energy conversion between the electron and the photon, and obtained the relation between the energy of scattered photon and the energy of photon before collision:e p =4γ 2 e p (0) . Increase of the energy of the scattered photon is at the price of the energy that the electron consumes. We calculated the scale of the energy conversion. In FEL, the maximum energy conversion efficiency is 50 %.
Major Genetic Risk Factors for Dupuytren's Disease Are Inherited From Neandertals

Abstract Dupuytren's disease is characterized by fingers becoming permanently bent in a flexed position. Whereas people of African ancestry are rarely afflicted by Dupuytren's disease, up to ∼30% of men over 60 years suffer from this condition in northern Europe. Here, we meta-analyze 3 biobanks comprising 7,871 cases and 645,880 controls and find 61 genome-wide significant variants associated with Dupuytren's disease. We show that 3 of the 61 loci harbor alleles of Neandertal origin, including the second and third most strongly associated ones (P = 6.4 × 10−132 and P = 9.2 × 10−69, respectively). For the most strongly associated Neandertal variant, we identify EPDR1 as the causal gene. Dupuytren's disease is an example of how admixture with Neandertals has shaped regional differences in disease prevalence.
Levetiracetam Pharmacokinetics and Brain Uptake in a Lateral Fluid Percussion Injury Rat Model

Post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) occurs in some patients after moderate/severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although there are no approved therapies to prevent epileptogenesis, levetiracetam (LEV) is commonly given for seizure prophylaxis due to its good safety profile. This led us to study LEV as part of the Epilepsy Bioinformatics Study for Antiepileptogenic Therapy (EpiBioS4Rx) Project. The objective of this work is to characterize the pharmacokinetics (PK) and brain uptake of LEV in naïve control rats and in the lateral fluid percussion injury (LFPI) rat model of TBI after either single intraperitoneal doses or a loading dose followed by a 7-day subcutaneous infusion. Sprague-Dawley rats were used as controls and for the LFPI model induced at the left parietal region using injury parameters optimized for moderate/severe TBI. Naïve and LFPI rats received either a bolus injection (intraperitoneal) or a bolus injection followed by subcutaneous infusion over 7 days. Blood and parietal cortical samples were collected at specified time points throughout the study. LEV concentrations in plasma and brain were measured using validated high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) methods. Noncompartmental analysis and a naive-pooled compartmental PK modeling approach were used. Brain-to-plasma ratios ranged from 0.54 to 1.4 to 1. LEV concentrations were well fit by one-compartment, first-order absorption PK models with a clearance of 112 ml/h per kg and volume of distribution of 293 ml/kg. The single-dose pharmacokinetic data were used to guide dose selection for the longer-term studies, and target drug exposures were confirmed. Obtaining LEV PK information early in the screening phase allowed us to guide optimal treatment protocols in EpiBioS4Rx. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The characterization of levetiracetam pharmacokinetics and brain uptake in an animal model of post-traumatic epilepsy is essential to identify target concentrations and guide optimal treatment for future studies.
Attractive and repulsive serial dependence: The role of task relevance, the passage of time, and the number of stimuli

Visual decisions are attracted toward features of previous stimuli. This phenomenon, termed serial dependence, has been related to a mechanism that integrates present visual input with stimuli seen up to 10 to 15 s in the past. It is believed that this mechanism is “temporally tuned” and the effect of prior stimuli fades with time. Here, we investigated whether the temporal window of serial dependence is influenced by the number of stimuli shown. Observers performed an orientation adjustment task where the interval between the past and present stimulus and the number of intervening stimuli varied. First, we found that the direction—repulsive or attractive—and duration of the effect of a past stimulus depends on whether the past stimulus was relevant to behavior. Second, we show that the number of stimuli, and not only the passage of time, plays a role: The effect of a stimulus at a fixed interval depends on the number of other stimuli shown after. Our results demonstrate that neither a single mechanism nor a general tuning window can fully capture the complexity of serial dependence.
Skincare potential of a sustainable postbiotic extract produced through sugarcane straw fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Postbiotics are defined as a “preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host. ” They can be produced by fermentation, using culture media with glucose (carbon source), and lactic acid bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus, and/or yeast, mainly Saccharomyces cerevisiae as fermentative microorganisms. Postbiotics comprise different metabolites, and have important biological properties (antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, etc.), thus their cosmetic application should be considered. During this work, the postbiotics production was carried out by fermentation with sugarcane straw, as a source of carbon and phenolic compounds, and as a sustainable process to obtain bioactive extracts. For the production of postbiotics, a saccharification process was carried out with cellulase at 55°C for 24 h. Fermentation was performed sequentially after saccharification at 30°C, for 72 h, using S. cerevisiae. The cells‐free extract was characterized regarding its composition, antioxidant activity, and skincare potential. Its use was safe at concentrations below ~20 mg mL−1 (extract's dry weight in deionized water) for keratinocytes and ~ 7.5 mg mL−1 for fibroblasts. It showed antioxidant activity, with ABTS IC50 of 1.88 mg mL−1, and inhibited elastase and tyrosinase activities by 83.4% and 42.4%, respectively, at the maximum concentration tested (20 mg mL−1). In addition, it promoted the production of cytokeratin 14, and demonstrated anti‐inflammatory activity at a concentration of 10 mg mL−1. In the skin microbiota of human volunteers, the extract inhibited Cutibacterium acnes and the Malassezia genus. Shortly, postbiotics were successfully produced using sugarcane straw, and showed bioactive properties that potentiate their use in cosmetic/skincare products.
A new tool for miscibility control: Linear coupling

In this work we experimentally study the rich interplay of a linear coupling and non-linear interactions between the two components of an elongated Bose-Einstein condensate of 87Rb. In the limit of strong linear coupling we generate dressed states and explore the effective interactions between them. We find that the miscibility of dressed states is opposite to that of the atomic states. If the characteristic energies of interactions and linear coupling are equal they give rise to a miscible-immiscible quantum phase transition. We study the linear response of the system to sudden quenches in the vicinity of the critical point by analyzing spin correlations in the system. A power law scaling of the characteristic length scales is observed on both sides of the phase transition and the scaling exponents agree with the mean field prediction. Temporal scaling is found on the miscible side in agreement with a prediction based on Bogoliubov theory. In addition, experimental results for finite-time quenches through the critical point are presented. The good control over amplitude and phase of the linear coupling field offers new possibilities for the study of both equilibrium and dynamical properties of phase transitions.
Thematic Analysis of State Medicaid Buprenorphine Prior Authorization Requirements

Key Points Question What are US states’ prior authorization (PA) requirements for Medicaid payment for buprenorphine? Findings This qualitative study of 50 states’ Medicaid PA forms found that PA requirements for buprenorphine included patient surveillance with drug screenings and pill counts, behavioral health treatment recommendations or mandates, patient education, and dosing guidance. Meaning These results suggest that PA form requirements and their associated features may contribute to the undue bureaucratic burdens that curtail access to buprenorphine for opioid use disorder.
Treatment System Adaptations during War: Lessons from Ukrainian Addiction Treatment Providers

Abstract Background: The war in Ukraine has posed significant challenges to the healthcare system. This paper draws upon expert consultations, held between December 2022 and February 2023, focused on HIV/AIDS, addiction, and mental health service delivery during the first year of this war, and following the Global Mental Health Humanitarian Coalition panel discussion in May 2022. Objectives: This commentary presents the experiences of frontline healthcare workers in Ukraine, challenges, and local adaptations to meet the increased mental health needs of healthcare providers. We aimed to document the adaptations made in the addiction healthcare system and to acknowledge the changes in vulnerabilities and lessons learned. Results: Burnout among healthcare providers delivering addiction, HIV/AIDS and mental health services became more visible after the second half of 2022. Challenges included increased workload, contextual threats, lack of job relocation strategies, and money-follow-the-patient policies. Recommendations: The lessons from the first year of war in Ukraine hold significant generalizability to other contexts. These include enabling bottom-up approaches to tailoring services and allowing healthcare providers to respond to the dynamics of war in an effective and active manner. Other recommendations include departmental-specific resources and strategies, particularly as vulnerable groups and challenges are unstable in humanitarian contexts. Conclusions: Globally and in Ukraine, healthcare workers need more than applause. Along with monetary incentives, other strategies to prevent burnout, ensure sustainable capacity building, job relocation opportunities, and bespoke adaptations are imperative to protect healthcare providers’ wellbeing and overall public health.
Renal cell carcinoma escapes NK cell‐mediated immune surveillance through the downregulation of DNAM‐1

Dear Editor, The activating receptor DNAX accessory molecule-1 (DNAM-1) plays an important role in T and natural killer (NK) cell-mediated cytotoxicity via the interaction with its ligands poliovirus receptor (PVR, CD155) and Nectin2 (CD112). Compared with peripheral blood NK cells, tumor-infiltrating NK cells show reduced expression of DNAM-1 across several solid tumors, including ovarian and breast cancer resulting in impaired NK cell function. Early studies reported an inverse correlation between DNAM-1 expression and its ligands in leukemic blasts and ovarian cancer [1]. It was recently reported that engagement of the PVR results in reduced DNAM-1 expression in murine T cells [2]. In contrast to several other solid tumors, the frequency of tumor-infiltrating T cells is associated with poor prognosis in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) [3]. Instead, high frequencies of NK cells have been associated with improved prognosis in RCC [4]. However, the underlying mechanisms that regulate NK cell activity in RCC are poorly understood. Here we explored the DNAM1 – PVR axis in RCC and propose a strategy to maintain DNAM-1 expression in NK cells. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data revealed that high DNAM1 expression is associated with increased overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with RCC. Conversely, high PVR expression is associated with a worse prognosis (Figure 1A and Supplementary Figure S1A).
A proportional odds transition model for ordinal responses with an application to pig behaviour

ABSTRACT Categorical data are quite common in many fields of science including in behaviour studies in animal science. In this article, the data concern the degree of lesions in pigs, related to the behaviour of these animals. The experimental design corresponded to two levels of environmental enrichment and four levels of genetic lineages in a completely randomized factorial with data collected longitudinally over four time occasions. The transition models used for the data analysis are based on stochastic processes and Generalized Linear Models. In general, these are not used for analysis of longitudinal data but they are useful in many situations as in this study. We present some aspects of this class of models for the stationary case. The proportional odds transition model is used to construct the matrix of transition probabilities and a function was developed in the R system to fit this model. The likelihood ratio test was used to verify the assumption of odds ratio proportionality and to select the structure of the linear predictor. The methodology used allowed for the choice of a model that can be used to explain the relationship between the severity of lesions in pigs and the use of the environmental enrichment.
Ice breakloose friction.

We discuss the origin of the breakloose (or static) friction force when an ice block is slid on a hard randomly rough substrate surface. If the substrate has roughness with small enough amplitude (of order a 1 nm or less), the breakloose force may be due to interfacial slip and is determined by the elastic energy per unit area, Uel/A0, stored at the interface after the block has been displaced a short distance from its original position. The theory assumes complete contact between the solids at the interface and that there is no elastic deformation energy at the interface in the original state before the application of the tangential force. The breakloose force depends on the surface roughness power spectrum of the substrate and is found to be in good agreement with experimental observations. We show that as the temperature decreases, there is a transition from interfacial sliding (mode II crack propagation, where the crack propagation energy GII = Uel/A0) to opening crack propagation (mode I crack propagation with GI the energy per unit area to break the ice-substrate bonds in the normal direction).
Quantitative methods used to evaluate balance, postural control, and the fear of falling in lower limb prosthesis users: A systematic review

Problems with balance, postural control, and fear of falling are highly prevalent in lower limb prosthesis users, with much research conducted to understand these issues. The variety of tools used to assess these concepts presents a challenge when interpreting research outcomes. This systematic review aimed to provide a synthesis of quantifiable methods used in the evaluation of balance, postural control, and fear of falling in lower limb prosthesis users with an amputation level at or proximal to the ankle joint. A systematic search was conducted in CINAHL, Medline, AMED, Cochrane, AgeLine, Scopus, Web of Science, Proquest, PsycINFO, PsycArticles, and PubPsych databases followed by additional manual searching via reference lists in the reviewed articles databases. Included articles used quantitative measure of balance or postural control as one of the dependent variables, lower limb prosthesis users as a sample group, and were published in a peer-reviewed journal in English. Relevant assessment questions were created by the investigators to rate the assessment methods used in the individual studies. Descriptive and summary statistics are used to synthesize the results. The search yielded (n = 187) articles assessing balance or postural control (n = 5487 persons in total) and (n = 66) articles assessing fear of falling or balance confidence (n = 7325 persons in total). The most used test to measure balance was the Berg Balance Scale and the most used test to measure fear of falling was the Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale. A large number of studies did not present if the chosen methods were valid and reliable for the lower limb prosthesis users. Among study limitations, small sample size was common.
COVID-19-Related Shifts in Polysubstance Use

Abstract Background: Big Events, such as economic crises and natural disasters, affect drug use patterns (e.g. Friedman & Rossi, 2015). The COVID-19 pandemic is a Big Event that led to lockdowns, travel restrictions, protocols on businesses, and rules for social engagements across the globe. Studies primarily in Europe and Oceania show that the pandemic impacted the type and amount of substances used (e.g. Winstock et al., 2020). Objectives: This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on substance use using a sample of 257 individuals across 36 states, who engage in polysubstance use. Results: The sample was recruited via DanceSafe, Inc.’s social media to complete an online survey (April–October 2020) about drug use during the pandemic. The mostly White, heterosexual sample used an average of seven different substances in the past 12 months. Slightly less than half reported increasing use since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with young adults and lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, or queer (LGBPQ) identifying individuals significantly more likely to do so. Relative to other substances, benzodiazepine use increased, and 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and psychedelic use decreased, while alcohol use stayed the same. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected those who are young adults, LGBPQ, and use drugs. Their unique needs during the pandemic warrant attention. The swap from leisure (e.g. MDMA) to anti-anxiety (e.g. Xanax) drugs is not surprising. Yet, the rise in novel benzodiazepines (Laing et al., 2021) is a point of concern that suggests drug checking and educational efforts can best reduce potential risks.