julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Exerting Forces and Wall Load during Duodenoscopy for ERCP: An Experimental Measurement in an Artificial Model
2023-04-26

Background: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is crucial to the treatment of biliopancreatic diseases with iatrogenic perforation as a potential complication. As of yet, the wall load during ERCP is unknown, as it is not directly measurable during an ERCP in patients. Methods: In a life-like, animal-free model, a sensor system consisting of five load cells was attached to the artificial intestines (sensors 1 + 2: pyloric canal–pyloric antrum, sensor 3: duodenal bulb, sensor 4: descending part of the duodenum, sensor 5: distal to the papilla). Measurements were made with five duodenoscopes (n = 4 reusable and n = 1 single use). Results: Fifteen standardized duodenoscopies were performed. Peak stresses were found at the antrum during the gastrointestinal transit (sensor 1 max. 8.95 N, sensor 2 max. 2.79 N). The load reduced from the proximal to the distal duodenum and the greatest load in the duodenum was discovered at the level of the papilla in 80.0% (sensor 3 max. 2.06 N). Conclusions: For the first time, intraprocedural load measurements and exerting forces obtained during a duodenoscopy for ERCP in an artificial model were recorded. None of the tested duodenoscopes were classified as dangerous for patient safety.
Protein Levels of Anti-Apoptotic Mcl-1 and the Deubiquitinase USP9x Are Cooperatively Upregulated during Prostate Cancer Progression and Limit Response of Prostate Cancer Cells to Radiotherapy
2023-04-26

Background: Radiotherapy constitutes an important therapeutic option for prostate cancer. However, prostate cancer cells often acquire resistance during cancer progression, limiting the cytotoxic effects of radiotherapy. Among factors regulating sensitivity to radiotherapy are members of the Bcl-2 protein family, known to regulate apoptosis at the mitochondrial level. Here, we analyzed the role of anti-apoptotic Mcl-1 and USP9x, a deubiquitinase stabilizing Mcl-1 protein levels, in prostate cancer progression and response to radiotherapy. Methods: Changes in Mcl-1 and USP9x levels during prostate cancer progression were determined by immunohistochemistry. Neutralization of Mcl-1 and USP9x was achieved by siRNA-mediated knockdown. We analyzed Mcl-1 stability after translational inhibition by cycloheximide. Cell death was determined by flow cytometry using an exclusion assay of mitochondrial membrane potential-sensitive dye. Changes in the clonogenic potential were examined by colony formation assay. Results: Protein levels of Mcl-1 and USP9x increased during prostate cancer progression, and high protein levels correlated with advanced prostate cancer stages. The stability of Mcl-1 reflected Mcl-1 protein levels in LNCaP and PC3 prostate cancer cells. Moreover, radiotherapy itself affected Mcl-1 protein turnover in prostate cancer cells. Particularly in LNCaP cells, the knockdown of USP9x expression reduced Mcl-1 protein levels and increased sensitivity to radiotherapy. Conclusion: Posttranslational regulation of protein stability was often responsible for high protein levels of Mcl-1. Moreover, we demonstrated that deubiquitinase USP9x as a factor regulating Mcl-1 levels in prostate cancer cells, thus limiting cytotoxic response to radiotherapy.
Genetic Evidence Causally Linking Pancreas Fat to Pancreatic Cancer: A Mendelian Randomization Study
2023-04-26

Abstract Background &amp; Aims Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is highly lethal, and any clues to understanding its elusive etiology could lead to breakthroughs in prevention, early detection, or treatment. Observational studies have shown a relationship between pancreas fat accumulation and PDAC, but the causality of this link is unclear. We therefore investigated whether pancreas fat is causally associated with PDAC using two-sample Mendelian randomization. Methods We leveraged eight genetic variants associated with pancreas fat (P&lt;5×10 -8 ) from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in the UK Biobank (25,617 individuals), and assessed their association with PDAC in the Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Consortium I-III and the Pancreatic Cancer Case-Control Consortium dataset (8,275 PDAC cases and 6,723 non-cases). Causality was assessed using the inverse-variance weighted method. Although none of these genetic variants were associated with body mass index (BMI) at genome-wide significance, we further conducted a sensitivity analysis excluding genetic variants with a nominal BMI association in GWAS summary statistics from the UK Biobank and the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits consortium dataset (806,834 individuals). Results Genetically determined higher levels of pancreas fat using the eight genetic variants was associated with increased risk of PDAC. For one standard deviation increase in pancreas fat levels (i.e., 7.9% increase in pancreas fat fraction), the odds ratio of PDAC was 2.46 (95%CI:1.38-4.40, P=0.002). Similar results were obtained after excluding genetic variants nominally linked to BMI (odds ratio:3.79, 95%CI:1.66-8.65, P=0.002). Conclusions This study provides genetic evidence for a causal role of pancreas fat in the pathogenesis of PDAC. Thus, reducing pancreas fat could lower the risk of PDAC.
Immune signature of patients with cardiovascular disease – in-depth immunophenotyping predicts increased risk for a severe course of COVID-19
2023-04-26

Abstract Objective SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to life-threatening clinical manifestations. Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) are at higher risk for severe courses of COVID-19. However, strategies to predict the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection in CVD patients at hospital admission are still missing. Here, we investigated whether the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection can be predicted by analyzing the immunophenotype in the blood of CVD patients. Approach and Results We prospectively analyzed the peripheral blood of 94 participants, including CVD patients with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, uninfected CVD patients, and healthy donors using a 36-color spectral flow cytometry panel. Clinical assessment included blood sampling, echocardiography, and electrocardiography. Patients were classified by their ISARIC WHO 4C-Mortality-Score on the day of admission into three subgroups of an expected mild, moderate, or severe course of COVID-19. Unsupervised data analysis revealed 40 clusters corresponding to major circulating immune cell populations. This revealed little differences between healthy donors and CVD patients, whereas the distribution of the cell populations changed dramatically in SARS-CoV-2-infected CVD patients. The latter had more mature NK cells, activated monocyte subsets, central memory CD4 + T cells, and plasmablasts than uninfected CVD patients. In contrast, fewer dendritic cells, CD16 + monocytes, innate lymphoid cells, and CD8 + T cell subsets were detected in SARS-CoV-2-infected CVD patients. We identified an immune signature characterized by low frequencies of MAIT and intermediate effector CD8 + T cells in combination with a high frequency of NKT cells that is predictive for CVD patients with a severe course of SARS-CoV-2 infection on hospital admission. Conclusion Acute SARS-CoV-2 infected CVD patients revealed marked changes in abundance and phenotype of several immune cell populations associated with COVID-19 severity. Our data indicate that intensified immunophenotype analyses can help identify patients at risk of severe COVID-19 at hospital admission, improving clinical outcomes through specific treatment. Highlights Patients with cardiovascular disease are at higher risk of severe courses of COVID-19 and may exhibit an altered immune response Unsupervised data analysis revealed that patients with cardiovascular disease and SARS-CoV-2 infection showed significant changes in the abundance and the phenotype of various immune cell populations We identified a disease-related immune signature in patients with cardiovascular disease and SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with the severity of COVID-19 Intensified immunophenotyping helps to identify cardiovascular patients at risk of a severe course of COVID-19 already at the early stages of the disease and might thereby improve clinical outcomes and specific treatment of COVID-19
Data and Code for Publication "Estimating inter-individual Mahalanobis distances from mixed incomplete high-dimensional data: Application to human skeletal remains from 3rd to 1st millennia BC Southwest Germany"
2023-04-26

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Data and code for publication: H. Rathmann, S. Lismann, M. Francken, A. Spatzier, Estimating inter-individual Mahalanobis distances from mixed incomplete high-dimensional data: Application to human skeletal remains from 3&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;rd&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; to 1&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;st&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; millennia BC Southwest Germany.&amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Journal of Archaeological Science&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt; 156: 105802. &amp;lt;a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2023.105802"&amp;gt;https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2023.105802&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;\\n&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The repository contains:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;\\n&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;\\n&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;ldquo;R code for FLEXDIST.txt&amp;rdquo;: R code for executing FLEXDIST, a tool to estimate inter-individual Mahalanobis-type distances, taking correlations among variables into account, applicable to multiple variable scales (nominal, ordinal, continuous, or any mixture thereof), accommodating missing values, and handling high-dimensional data. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Please refer to the latest version of this repository for the most up-to-date R code&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;\\n&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;ldquo;data.csv&amp;rdquo;: Pre-processed dataset comprising 85 dental morphological features collected from 64 archaeological human remains from Final Neolithic to Early Iron Age Southwest Germany used for analysis.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;\\n&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;ldquo;complete dataset.xlsx&amp;rdquo;: Complete dataset comprising 199 dental morphological features collected from 144 archaeological human remains from Final Neolithic to Early Iron Age Southwest Germany.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;\\n&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;
Data and Code for Publication "Estimating inter-individual Mahalanobis distances from mixed incomplete high-dimensional data: Application to human skeletal remains from 3rd to 1st millennia BC Southwest Germany"
2023-04-26

Data and code for publication: H. Rathmann, S. Lismann, M. Francken, A. Spatzier, Estimating inter-individual Mahalanobis distances from mixed incomplete high-dimensional data: Application to human skeletal remains from 3rd to 1st millennia BC Southwest Germany. Journal of Archaeological Science 156: 105802. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2023.105802 The repository contains: “R code for FLEXDIST.txt”: R code for executing FLEXDIST, a tool to estimate inter-individual Mahalanobis-type distances, taking correlations among variables into account, applicable to multiple variable scales (nominal, ordinal, continuous, or any mixture thereof), accommodating missing values, and handling high-dimensional data. Please refer to the latest version of this repository for the most up-to-date R code. “data.csv”: Pre-processed dataset comprising 85 dental morphological features collected from 64 archaeological human remains from Final Neolithic to Early Iron Age Southwest Germany used for analysis. “complete dataset.xlsx”: Complete dataset comprising 199 dental morphological features collected from 144 archaeological human remains from Final Neolithic to Early Iron Age Southwest Germany.
Platelet phosphatidylserine is the critical mediator of thrombosis in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia
2023-04-27

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a severe immune-mediated prothrombotic disorder caused by antibodies (Ab) reactive to complexes of platelet factor 4 and heparin. Platelets (PLT) and their interaction with different immune cells contribute to prothrombotic conditions in HIT. However, the exact mechanisms and the role of different PLT subpopulations in this prothrombotic environment remain poorly understood. In this study, we observed that HIT patient Ab induce a new PLT population that is characterized by increased P-selectin expression and phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization. Formation of this procoagulant PLT subpopulation was dependent on engagement of PLT Fc-γ-RIIA by HIT Ab and resulted in a significant increase of thrombin generation on the PLT surface. Using an ex vivo thrombosis model and multi-parameter assessment of thrombus formation, we observed that HIT Ab-induced procoagulant PLT propagated formation of large PLT aggregates, leukocyte recruitment and most importantly, fibrin network generation. These prothrombotic conditions were prevented via the upregulation of PLT intracellular cAMP with Iloprost, a clinically approved prostacyclin analogue. Additionally, the functional relevance of P-selectin and PS was dissected. While inhibition of P-selectin did not affect thrombus formation, the specific blockade of PS prevented HIT Ab-mediated thrombin generation and most importantly procoagulant PLT-mediated thrombus formation ex vivo. Taken together, our findings indicate that procoagulant PLT are critical mediators of prothrombotic conditions in HIT. Specific PS targeting could be a promising therapeutic approach to prevent thromboembolic events in HIT patients.
Non‐Centrosymmetric 2D Nb3SeI7 with High In‐Plane Anisotropy and Optical Nonlinearity
2023-04-27

Abstract Integrating anisotropy and nonlinearity of physical properties in 2D materials is of great importance to the progress of nanoelectronic, nanophotonic, and nano‐optoelectronic applications. In this work, Nb 3 SeI 7 , a newly discovered ternary layered material with non‐centrosymmetric lattices, is introduced, which exhibits strong second harmonic generation (SHG), in‐plane anisotropic electricity, and light absorption. Symmetry breaking of 2D Nb 3 SeI 7 induced by the polar off‐center displacement of niobium leads to a high nonlinear optical response with a second‐order susceptibility of 6.71 pm V −1 and a high anisotropic factor of photoresponsivity up to 4.6, which are higher than most of the 2D materials. These properties of 2D Nb 3 SeI 7 create new possibilities for chip‐integrated nonlinear optics devices and future‐proof polarization‐sensitive optoelectronic systems.
Helicobacter pylori Modulates Heptose Metabolite Biosynthesis and Heptose-Dependent Innate Immune Host Cell Activation by Multiple Mechanisms
2023-04-27

Bacterial heptose metabolites, intermediates of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis, are novel microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) that activate proinflammatory signaling. In the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori , heptoses are transferred into host cells by the Cag type IV secretion system, which is also involved in carcinogenesis.
Thinking Disposition Education Improves Cognitive Reflection: Experimental Results from Two Intervention Studies
2023-04-27

Cognitive reflection is a construct measuring one’s ability to disengage automatic or type I processing and instead activate effortful deliberation, described as type II processing in dual process theories. Successfully overriding intuitive responses is posited to rely on, in part, trait-like attributes known as thinking dispositions, though a causal link has not been established. The present research is the first randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of a novel thinking dispositionintervention (TDI)—a 7-week educational curriculum—on cognitive reflection performance. In Study 1, subjects (N = 338) were randomized to either the TDI or a control condition. In Study 2, subjects (N = 86) were randomized to either the TDI or a reasoning intervention. Bayesian regression was utilized to obtain posterior distributions of the treatment effect(s). We find that subjects exposed to the curriculum aimed at promoting thinking dispositions exhibited greater increases in cognitive reflection than a control condition; however, the effects appear limited when compared to a reasoning intervention. Implications for dual process theory are discussed.
Muscle preflex response to perturbations in locomotion: In vitro experiments and simulations with realistic boundary conditions
2023-04-27

Neuromuscular control loops feature substantial communication delays, but mammals run robustly even in the most adverse conditions. In vivo experiments and computer simulation results suggest that muscles’ preflex—an immediate mechanical response to a perturbation—could be the critical contributor. Muscle preflexes act within a few milliseconds, an order of magnitude faster than neural reflexes. Their short-lasting action makes mechanical preflexes hard to quantify in vivo . Muscle models, on the other hand, require further improvement of their prediction accuracy during the non-standard conditions of perturbed locomotion. Our study aims to quantify the mechanical work done by muscles during the preflex phase (preflex work) and test their mechanical force modulation. We performed in vitro experiments with biological muscle fibers under physiological boundary conditions, which we determined in computer simulations of perturbed hopping. Our findings show that muscles initially resist impacts with a stereotypical stiffness response—identified as short-range stiffness—regardless of the exact perturbation condition. We then observe a velocity adaptation to the force related to the amount of perturbation similar to a damping response. The main contributor to the preflex work modulation is not the change in force due to a change in fiber stretch velocity (fiber damping characteristics) but the change in magnitude of the stretch due to the leg dynamics in the perturbed conditions. Our results confirm previous findings that muscle stiffness is activity-dependent and show that also damping characteristics are activity-dependent. These results indicate that neural control could tune the preflex properties of muscles in expectation of ground conditions leading to previously inexplicable neuromuscular adaptation speeds.
Picturing Your Life: The Role of Imagery Perspective in Personal Photos
2023-04-27

When photographing moments in their lives, people can use a first-person (capturing the scene as they saw it) or third-person (capturing the scene with themselves in it) perspective. Past research suggests third-person (vs. first-person) images better depict the meaning (vs. physical experience) of events. The current work suggests the use and impact of perspective in personal photography follow this representational function. Across six studies ( N = 2,113), we find that the goal to capture meaning (vs. physical experience) causes people to be more likely to use third-person (vs. first-person) photos, that people are reminded more of the meaning (vs. physical experience) when viewing their own actual third-person (vs. first-person) photos, and that people like their photos better when the perspective matched (vs. mismatched) their goal for taking the photo. Discussion focuses on theoretical and practical implications of extending the representational function of imagery perspective to everyday uses of photographic imagery.
Role of the NaHCO 3 Transporter MpsABC in the NaHCO 3 –β-Lactam-Responsive Phenotype in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
2023-04-27

MRSA infections are increasingly difficult to treat, due in part to their resistance to most β-lactam antibiotics. A novel and relatively common phenotype, termed NaHCO 3 responsiveness, has been identified in which MRSA strains show increased susceptibility in vitro and in vivo to β-lactams in the presence of NaHCO 3 .
The correlation of age and extension length in DeBakey type I aortic dissection: are older patients over 70 years at a lower risk?
2023-04-27

Abstract OBJECTIVES Age-related atherosclerosis has been shown to cause aortic stiffness and wall rigidification. This analysis aimed to correlate age and dissection extension length in a large contemporary multicentre study. We hypothesize that younger patients suffer more extensive DeBakey type I dissection due to aortic wall integrity, allowing unhindered extension within the layers. METHODS The perioperative data of 3385 patients from the German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A were retrospectively analyzed with regard to postoperative outcomes and dissection extension. Patients with DeBakey type I aortic dissection (n = 2510) were retrospectively identified and divided into 2 age groups for comparison: ≤69 years (n = 1741) and ≥70 years (n = 769). Patients with DeBakey type II dissection or connective tissue disease were excluded from the analysis. RESULTS In younger patients (≤69 years), aortic dissection involved the supra-aortic vessels significantly more often (52.0% vs 40.1%; P &amp;lt; 0.001) and extended significantly further downstream the aorta: descending aorta (68.4% vs 57.1%; P &amp;lt; 0.001), abdominal aorta (54.6% vs 42.1%; P &amp;lt; 0.001) and iliac bifurcation (36.6% vs 26.0%; P &amp;lt; 0.001). Consequently, younger patients also presented with significantly higher incidences of preoperative cerebral (P &amp;lt; 0.001), spinal (P &amp;lt; 0.001), visceral (P &amp;lt; 0.001), renal (P = 0.013) and peripheral (P &amp;lt; 0.001) malperfusion. In older patients (≥70 years), dissection extent was significantly more often limited to the level of the aortic arch (40.9% vs 29.2%; P &amp;lt; 0.001). No significant difference was found with regard to 30-day mortality (20.7% vs 23.6%; P = 0.114). CONCLUSIONS Extensive DeBakey type I aortic dissection is less frequent in older patients ≥70 years than in younger patients. In contrast, younger patients suffer more often from preoperative organ malperfusion and associated complications. Postoperative mortality remains high irrespective of age groups.
An antifouling and acid resistant loose NF membrane via synergic modification of PVP and PEI on PTFE substrate
2023-04-27

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with good resistance can be used under extreme conditions, however, its surface hydrophobicity greatly limits its wide application in water treatment field. In this work, the hydrophobic PTFE microfiltration (MF) membrane was innovatively modified into a hydrophilic loose nanofiltration (NF) via synergic effect of the deposited polyethyleneimine (PEI) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) with assistance of fluorocarbon surfactant (FCS), and then crosslinked by glutaraldehyde (GA). The surface morphology, porosity and aperture size of the obtained cPEI-PVP-FCS/PTFE (cPPF) membrane were characterized in detail. The resultant membrane showed good dye desalination performance with high Evans blue rejection of 98.5%, NaCl rejection of 13.4%, along with permeance of 192.1 L m−2 h−1·MPa−1. In addition, the membrane showed long-term stability and good acid resistance.
Challenges in Studying Social Media Privacy Literacy
2023-04-27

Social media privacy literacy can be defined as users' knowledge about techniques and strategies they can apply themselves to protect their privacy on social media. It implies knowledge users have about data collection practices of social media platform providers and data protection regulations, and that they can reflect on potential privacy risks in such environments. As such, social media privacy literacy is one of several responses to emerging risks for privacy violations in the context of digital technologies. In this chapter, we highlight the strengths and weaknesses of existing conceptualizations of online privacy literacy, discuss how these have been applied to social media, call attention to methodological challenges in measuring online privacy literacy in general and social media literacy specifically, and review the existing empirical literature on online privacy literacy and how it is studied in the context of social media. In doing so, we outline limitations, challenges, and opportunities for future research. Most importantly, we argue that fostering social media privacy literacy is an important, albeit only one of many necessary responses to the increasing privacy threats on social media.