Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between internalized stigma and depression among HIV-positive persons entering into care in Southern India

Background In India, which has the third largest HIV epidemic in the world, depression and HIV–related stigma may contribute to high rates of poor HIV–related outcomes such as loss to care and lack of virologic suppression. Methods We analyzed data from a large HIV treatment center in southern India to estimate the burden of depressive symptoms and internalized stigma among Indian people living with HIV (PLHIV) entering into HIV care and to test the hypothesis that probable depression was associated with internalized stigma. We fitted modified Poisson regression models, adjusted for sociodemographic variables, with probable depression (PHQ–9 score ≥10 or recent suicidal thoughts) as the outcome variable and the Internalized AIDS–Related Stigma Scale (IARSS) score as the explanatory variable. Findings 521 persons (304 men and 217 women) entering into HIV care between January 2015 and May 2016 were included in the analyses. The prevalence of probable depression was 10% and the mean IARSS score was 2.4 (out of 6), with 82% of participants endorsing at least one item on the IARSS. There was a nearly two times higher risk of probable depression for every additional point on the IARSS score (Adjusted Risk Ratio: 1.83; 95% confidence interval, 1.56–2.14). Conclusions Depression and internalized stigma are highly correlated among PLHIV entering into HIV care in southern India and may provide targets for policymakers seeking to improve HIV–related outcomes in India.
Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for 1 y reduces body fat mass in healthy overweight humans.

BACKGROUND Short-term trials showed that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) may reduce body fat mass (BFM) and increase lean body mass (LBM), but the long-term effect of CLA was not examined. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to ascertain the 1-y effect of CLA on body composition and safety in healthy overweight adults consuming an ad libitum diet. DESIGN Male and female volunteers (n = 180) with body mass indexes (in kg/m(2)) of 25-30 were included in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Subjects were randomly assigned to 3 groups: CLA-free fatty acid (FFA), CLA-triacylglycerol, or placebo (olive oil). Change in BFM, as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included the effects of CLA on LBM, adverse events, and safety variables. RESULTS Mean (+/- SD) BFM in the CLA-triacylglycerol and CLA-FFA groups was 8.7 +/- 9.1% and 6.9 +/- 9.1%, respectively, lower than that in the placebo group (P < 0.001). Subjects receiving CLA-FFA had 1.8 +/- 4.3% greater LBM than did subjects receiving placebo (P = 0.002). These changes were not associated with diet or exercise. LDL increased in the CLA-FFA group (P = 0.008), HDL decreased in the CLA-triacylglycerol group (P = 0.003), and lipoprotein(a) increased in both CLA groups (P < 0.001) compared with month 0. Fasting blood glucose concentrations remained unchanged in all 3 groups. Glycated hemoglobin rose in all groups from month 0 concentrations, but there was no significant difference between groups. Adverse events did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSION Long-term supplementation with CLA-FFA or CLA-triacylglycerol reduces BFM in healthy overweight adults.
THE GENETIC ARCHITECTURE OF REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION DURING SPECIATION‐WITH‐GENE‐FLOW IN LAKE WHITEFISH SPECIES PAIRS ASSESSED BY RAD SEQUENCING

During speciation‐with‐gene‐flow, effective migration varies across the genome as a function of several factors, including proximity of selected loci, recombination rate, strength of selection, and number of selected loci. Genome scans may provide better empirical understanding of the genome‐wide patterns of genetic differentiation, especially if the variance due to the previously mentioned factors is partitioned. In North American lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), glacial lineages that diverged in allopatry about 60,000 years ago and came into contact 12,000 years ago have independently evolved in several lakes into two sympatric species pairs (a normal benthic and a dwarf limnetic). Variable degrees of reproductive isolation between species pairs across lakes offer a continuum of genetic and phenotypic divergence associated with adaptation to distinct ecological niches. To disentangle the complex array of genetically based barriers that locally reduce the effective migration rate between whitefish species pairs, we compared genome‐wide patterns of divergence across five lakes distributed along this divergence continuum. Using restriction site associated DNA (RAD) sequencing, we combined genetic mapping and population genetics approaches to identify genomic regions resistant to introgression and derive empirical measures of the barrier strength as a function of recombination distance. We found that the size of the genomic islands of differentiation was influenced by the joint effects of linkage disequilibrium maintained by selection on many loci, the strength of ecological niche divergence, as well as demographic characteristics unique to each lake. Partial parallelism in divergent genomic regions likely reflected the combined effects of polygenic adaptation from standing variation and independent changes in the genetic architecture of postzygotic isolation. This study illustrates how integrating genetic mapping and population genomics of multiple sympatric species pairs provide a window on the speciation‐with‐gene‐flow mechanism.
Dark matter and dark energy interactions: theoretical challenges, cosmological implications and observational signatures

Models where dark matter and dark energy interact with each other have been proposed to solve the coincidence problem. We review the motivations underlying the need to introduce such interaction, its influence on the background dynamics and how it modifies the evolution of linear perturbations. We test models using the most recent observational data and we find that the interaction is compatible with the current astronomical and cosmological data. Finally, we describe the forthcoming data sets from current and future facilities that are being constructed or designed that will allow a clearer understanding of the physics of the dark sector.
Regional variations of blood pressure in the United States are associated with regional variations in dietary intakes: the NHANES-III data.

Compared with other regions in the United States, the southern region has had the highest stroke mortality rate and a more prevalent and resistant hypertension. We designed this analysis of the data obtained from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey III (NHANES-III), which is a community-based cross-sectional survey, to describe regional variations in blood pressure and the reported consumption of nutrients, focusing on those linked to blood pressure, in the United States. We selected the following variables from the NHANES-III data for this analysis: systolic and diastolic blood pressures, protein, carbohydrates, total fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol, fiber, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, alcohol and vitamins C, E, B-6 and B-12. Of the 17,752 participants in the survey who were 18 y of age or older, the south had the highest systolic and diastolic blood pressures (P < 0.005 for each) and reported the highest consumption of monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol (P < 0.05 for all) and the least amount of fiber in the multivariate analysis (P < 0.005). The highest reported sodium consumption was in the south region (3.4 +/- 0.02 g), and the lowest was in the west (3.2 +/- 0.03 g; P < 0.05). The south also consumed the least potassium, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, riboflavin, niacin, iron and vitamins A, C and B-6 (P < 0.005). There was no difference among the four regions in frequency of "adding salt on the table. " The region of the United States that includes the "stroke belt" has dietary patterns that may contribute to the high prevalence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Safe Collateral, Arm's-Length Credit: Evidence from the Commercial Real Estate Mortgage Market

When collateral is safe, there are less opportunities for things to go wrong. We examine matching between collateral and creditors in the commercial real estate mortgage market by comparing loans in commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS) conduits and bank portfolios. We model CMBS financing as lower cost but less informed, such that only safe collateral is funded by CMBS. This prediction is tested using the 2007-2009 shutdown of the CMBS market as a natural experiment. The loans funded by banks that would have been securitized are less likely to default or be renegotiated, indicating that the securitization channel, when available, funds safe collateral.
Effects of prenatal food and micronutrient supplementation on infant development: a randomized trial from the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Interventions, Matlab (MINIMat) study.

BACKGROUND Few data exist for the effects of multiple micronutrient (MM) or food supplementation to undernourished pregnant women on their offsprings' development. OBJECTIVE We aimed to compare the effects on infant development of early (8-10 wk gestation) or usual ( approximately 17 wk gestation) supplementation with food and MM, 30 mg Fe + 400 microg folate, or 60 mg Fe + 400 microg folate. DESIGN A large, randomized, controlled trial of pregnancy supplementation was conducted in Bangladesh. A subsample of infants (n = 2853) were assessed on 2 problem-solving tests (support and cover tests), the motor index of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, and Wolke's behavior ratings at 7 mo of age. RESULTS There were no significant effects of any intervention in the group as a whole. However, infants of undernourished mothers [body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) < 18.5] who received early food supplementation performed slightly but significantly (P = 0.035) better on the support test than did infants of mothers who received usual food supplementation (z score: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.33). There were no benefits in infants of higher-BMI mothers (P = 0.024 for BMI x food interaction). Children of low-BMI mothers who received MMs had slightly better motor scores (z score: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.48) and activity ratings (z score: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.037, 0.45) than did those who received 30 mg Fe + 400 microg folate, whereas other children did not benefit (P = 0.05 for both motor scores and BMI x micronutrients and for activity and BMI x micronutrients). CONCLUSIONS Small benefits from early food and MM supplementation were found in infants of low-BMI but not of high-BMI mothers. However, the benefits were of doubtful functional importance, and longer follow-up is required to determine programmatic implications.
The influence of microstructure on the fracture toughness of AISI M2 high-speed steel

When modelling the fracture toughness of the investigated AISI M2 high-speed steel, the stress-modified critical strain criterion was used. The very important influence of microstructural parameters such as the volume fraction of undissolved eutectic carbides, their mean diameter, and the mean distance between the carbides, as well as the volume fraction of retained austenite in the matrix, was also taken into account. The influence of yield stress and fracture ductility was expressed in terms of the hardness of the steel. It was found that the plastic zone which develops, during fracture toughness measurements, ahead of the fatigue crack tip, was, as a rule, smaller than the prior austenite grain size, so that, in the case of the investigated high-speed steel, the size of these grains did not have any influence on the measured fracture toughness value. However, importantly, the calculated fracture toughness values, which were derived using a newly developed semi-empirical equation, agreed well with the experimental results obtained by the authors, as well as with results obtained by other authors.
Metabolic regulation as a control for lipid disorders. I. Influence of (--)-hydroxycitrate on experimentally induced obesity in the rodent.

The feasibility of treating obesity by metabolic regulation has been explored in this study by examining the effect of (--)-hydroxycitrate on three types of experimentally induced obesity in the rodent. (--)-Hydroxycitrate was utilized because it depressed fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis in vivo through its activity as a potent competitive inhibitor of APT citrate lyase. In all models, the mature rat, the goldthioglucose-induced obese mouse, and the ventromedial hypothalmic lesioned obese rat, food intake and body weight gain were reduced signficantly by the chronic oral administration of a nontoxic dose of (--)-hydroxcitrate. Body composition analyses of mature rats treated with (--)-hydroxycitrate demonstrated a significant depression of body lipid levels and an unaltered body protein content. However, a citrate administration produced no significant effects on weight gain, food intake, or body lipid or protein levels when compared to controls.
Calcium and zinc absorption from lactose-containing and lactose-free infant formulas.

BACKGROUND Calcium absorption is enhanced by the presence of lactose, but the quantitative significance of this effect in infant formulas is uncertain. It is also not known whether lactose affects zinc absorption. OBJECTIVE We measured the absorption of calcium and zinc from infant formulas by using a multitracer, stable-isotope technique. DESIGN Eighteen full-term infants (aged 8-12 wk at enrollment) were fed 2 partially hydrolyzed whey-protein-based formulas ad libitum for 2 wk per formula. The carbohydrate source was lactose in one formula and glucose polymers in the other (lactose-free). Infants were studied in a blinded crossover fashion after 2 wk of adaptation to each formula. Isotope absorption studies were conducted with a 4-tracer method in which (70)Zn and (44)Ca were provided orally and (67)Zn and (46)Ca intravenously. Zinc and calcium absorption was measured from the fractional excretion of the oral and intravenous isotopes in urine. RESULTS Fractional and total calcium absorption was significantly greater from the lactose-containing formula than from the lactose-free formula. For total calcium absorption, the mean difference between formulas was 10.3% (P = 0.002) and 60 mg/d (P = 0.006). For zinc, fractional absorption (32 +/- 11%), total absorption, and intake did not differ significantly between the 2 formulas. CONCLUSIONS The presence of lactose in a formula based on cow-milk protein increases absorption of calcium but not of zinc. Absorption of calcium from a lactose-free infant formula is, however, adequate to meet the calcium needs of full-term infants when the formula's calcium content is similar to that of lactose-containing, cow-milk-based infant formulas.
Hyperinsulinemia produces cardiac vagal withdrawal and nonuniform sympathetic activation in normal subjects.

The exact mechanisms for the decrease in R-R interval (RRI) during acute physiological hyperinsulinemia with euglycemia are unknown. Power spectral analysis of RRI and microneurographic recordings of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in 16 normal subjects provided markers of autonomic control during 90-min hyperinsulinemic/euglycemic clamps. By infusing propranolol and insulin ( n = 6 subjects), we also explored the contribution of heightened cardiac sympathetic activity to the insulin-induced decrease in RRI. Slight decreases in RRI ( P < 0.001) induced by sevenfold increases in plasma insulin could not be suppressed by propranolol. Insulin increased MSNA by more than twofold ( P < 0.001), decreased the high-frequency variability of RRI ( P< 0.01), but did not affect the absolute low-frequency variability of RRI. These results suggest that reductions in cardiac vagal tone and modulation contribute at least in part to the reduction in RRI during hyperinsulinemia. Moreover, more than twofold increases in MSNA occurring concurrently with a slight and not purely sympathetically mediated tachycardia suggest regionally nonuniform increases in sympathetic activity during hyperinsulinemia in humans.
Diet Quality and Sarcopenia in Older Adults: A Systematic Review

The increasing recognition of sarcopenia, the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function (muscle strength and physical performance), as a determinant of poor health in older age, has emphasized the importance of understanding more about its aetiology to inform strategies both for preventing and treating this condition. There is growing interest in the effects of modifiable factors such as diet; some nutrients have been studied but less is known about the influence of overall diet quality on sarcopenia. We conducted a systematic review of the literature examining the relationship between diet quality and the individual components of sarcopenia, i.e., muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance, and the overall risk of sarcopenia, among older adults. We identified 23 studies that met review inclusion criteria. The studies were diverse in terms of the design, setting, measures of diet quality, and outcome measurements. A small body of evidence suggested a relationship between “healthier” diets and better muscle mass outcomes. There was limited and inconsistent evidence for a link between “healthier” diets and lower risk of declines in muscle strength. There was strong and consistent observational evidence for a link between “healthier” diets and lower risk of declines in physical performance. There was a small body of cross-sectional evidence showing an association between “healthier” diets and lower risk of sarcopenia. This review provides observational evidence to support the benefits of diets of higher quality for physical performance among older adults. Findings for the other outcomes considered suggest some benefits, although the evidence is either limited in its extent (sarcopenia) or inconsistent/weak in its nature (muscle mass, muscle strength). Further studies are needed to assess the potential of whole-diet interventions for the prevention and management of sarcopenia.
Population structure in relation to host‐plant ecology and Wolbachia infestation in the comma butterfly

Experimental work on Polygonia c‐album, a temperate polyphagous butterfly species, has shown that Swedish, Belgian, Norwegian and Estonian females are generalists with respect to host‐plant preference, whereas females from UK and Spain are specialized on Urticaceae. Female preference is known to have a strong genetic component. We test whether the specialist and generalist populations form respective genetic clusters using data from mitochondrial sequences and 10 microsatellite loci. Results do not support this hypothesis, suggesting that the specialist and generalist traits have evolved more than once independently. Mitochondrial DNA variation suggests a rapid expansion scenario, with a single widespread haplotype occurring in high frequency, whereas microsatellite data indicate strong differentiation of the Moroccan population. Based on a comparison of polymorphism in the mitochondrial data and sequences from a nuclear gene, we show that the diversity in the former is significantly less than that expected under neutral evolution. Furthermore, we found that almost all butterfly samples were infected with a single strain of Wolbachia, a maternally inherited bacterium. We reason that indirect selection on the mitochondrial genome mediated by a recent sweep of Wolbachia infection has depleted variability in the mitochondrial sequences. We also surmise that P. c‐album could have expanded out of a single glacial refugium and colonized Morocco recently.
Developmental changes in leptin as a measure of energy status in human infants in a natural ecologic setting.

BACKGROUND Most human research on leptin has involved well-nourished subjects or clinical states such as anorexia nervosa or cancer cachexia. OBJECTIVE We studied the development of leptin as a monitor of energy status in young African infants whose growth patterns probably reflect the evolutionary norm. DESIGN We enrolled a prospective birth cohort of 138 rural Gambian mother-infant pairs. Plasma leptin was analyzed in maternal blood in late pregnancy, in cord blood, and at 8, 16, and 52 wk in the infants. Body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) was used as a proxy for fatness. The mothers were lean (BMI: 21.6+/-2.5), and the infants grew poorly compared with Western standards (average weight-for-age z score of -1.9 at 52 wk). RESULTS Maternal and cord blood leptin and birth weight were all positively correlated. Throughout infancy, leptin was highly correlated with BMI. A strong sex difference existed at birth (ie, leptin concentrations were significantly higher in females than in males), disappeared at 8 wk, and reappeared at 16 and 52 wk. Absolute leptin concentrations declined by almost 90% from birth to 52 wk, but leptin's ability to discriminate across a range of BMI values improved with age. In early infancy, leptin concentrations were uncorrelated with recent changes in BMI, but, by 52 wk, leptin was able to assess both the size of energy stores and the direction of recent changes. CONCLUSIONS Leptin concentrations signal energy status from fetal life onward. As infancy progresses, leptin's power to discriminate both chronic and dynamic energy status increases, and this discrimination is achieved at much lower circulating peptide concentrations.
Microbial phytase does not improve protein-amino acid utilization in soybean meal fed to young chickens.

Three growth trials were conducted with young chicks to evaluate crude protein (CP) utilization in soybean meal (SBM) as affected by dietary addition of microbial phytase. In assay 1, chicks were fed two CP-deficient (50 or 150 g CP/kg) levels of dehulled SBM, and each SBM level was then supplemented with equimolar amounts of cystine or methionine (Met) or with 1200 U phytase/kg. At 50 g CP/kg, cystine or Met supplementation improved (P < 0.05) measures of growth performance, but when 150 g CP/kg from SBM was fed, only Met addition improved (P < 0.05) weight gain, food efficiency and protein efficiency ratio (PER). Thus, Cys was more limiting than Met in the diet that contained 50 g CP/kg, but Met was clearly first-limiting in the diet that contained 150 g CP/kg. Phytase supplementation did not improve (P > 0.10) chick performance at either level of CP. Chicks in assay 2 were fed 100 g CP/kg furnished by SBM, casein or corn gluten meal in the absence and presence of 1200 U phytase/kg. Weight gain, gain/food and PER values were greater (P < 0.05) in chicks fed SBM than in those fed casein, and greater (P < 0.05) in chicks fed casein than in those fed corn gluten meal. Phytase supplementation had no effect (P > 0.10) on any measure of chick performance, regardless of the protein source fed. In assay 3, three deficient levels of CP (50, 100 and 150 g/kg) from SBM were fed in the absence and presence of 1200 U dietary phytase/kg. Weight gain, food efficiency and protein accretion increased linearly (P < 0.05) as a function of protein intake, but phytase supplementation had no effect (P > 0.10) on slopes of the body weight and protein accretion curves. Likewise, phytase addition did not affect (P > 0.10) measures of protein utilization, i.e., weight gain/protein intake and protein gain/protein intake at any of the CP levels that were fed. Because sulfur amino acids are the growth-limiting factors when protein-deficient levels of SBM are fed to young chicks, we conclude that dietary addition of phytase does not improve sulfur amino acid utilization in SBM.