Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Punicalagin and (–)-Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Rescue Cell Viability and Attenuate Inflammatory Responses of Human Epidermal Keratinocytes Exposed to Airborne Particulate Matter PM10

Background/Aims: Airborne particulate matter with a diameter of < 10 µm (PM10) causes oxidative damage, inflammation, and premature skin aging. In this study, we evaluated whether polyphenolic antioxidants attenuate the inflammatory responses of PM10-exposed keratinocytes. Methods: Primary human epidermal keratinocytes were exposed in vitro to PM10 in the absence or presence of punicalagin and (–)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which are the major polyphenolic antioxidants found in pomegranate and green tea, respectively. Assays were performed to determine cell viability, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and expression of NADPH oxidases (NOX), proinflammatory cytokines, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1. Results: PM10 decreased cell viability and increased ROS production in a dose-dependent manner. It also increased the expression levels of NOX-1, NOX-2, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and MMP-1. Punicalagin was not cytotoxic up to 300 μM, and (–)-EGCG was cytotoxic above 30 μM, respectively. Further, punicalagin (3–30 μM) and EGCG (3–10 μM) rescued the viability of PM10-exposed cells. They also attenuated ROS production and the expression of NOX-1, NOX-2, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and MMP-1 stimulated by PM10. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that polyphenolic antioxidants, such as punicalagin and (–)-EGCG, rescue keratinocyte viability and attenuate the inflammatory responses of these cells due to airborne particles.
Successful adaptation of gait in healthy older adults during dual-task treadmill walking

ABSTRACT Dual-task methods have been used to demonstrate increased prioritization of walking performance over cognition in healthy aging. This is expressed as greater dual-task costs in cognitive performance than in walking. However, other research shows that older adults can prioritize cognitive performance over walking when instructed to do so. We asked whether age-related cognitive prioritization would emerge by experimentally manipulating cognitive difficulty. Young and older adults performed mental arithmetic at two levels of difficulty, alone or while walking. Electromyography and footswitches were used to measure muscle activity and stride parameters. Under high cognitive load, older adults increased their stride time, stride length, and hamstring activity, while maintaining their cognitive performance. Young adults showed negligible dual-task costs in each domain. The older adults appeared to successfully adapt their stride in response to high cognitive demands. The results have implications for neural models of gait regulation, and age differences in task emphasis.
The relationship between social participation and social skills of pupils with an intellectual disability : A study in inclusive classrooms

Researchers claim that a lack of social skills might be the main reason why pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in inclusive classrooms often experience difficulties in social participation. However, studies that support this assumption are scarce, and none include pupils with an intellectual disability (ID). This article seeks to make an important contribution to this discussion. The social skills and social participation of pupils with ID and their typically developing (TD) peers in 38 general education classrooms were assessed with multidimensional instruments. The analyses indicate that the majority of pupils with ID were not popular but were socially accepted and had friends. Additionally, no significant relationship was found between social skills and the social participation of pupils with ID, although such pupils had lower levels of social skills compared with their TD peers. Thus, it appears that pupils with ID do not require high levels of social skills to be befriended or accepted by classmates. In contrast, social skills were associated with popularity and social acceptance within the group of TD pupils. In fact, popular TD pupils had the highest level of social skills. These findings support the assumption that in addition to low levels of social skills, there must be other mechanisms that influence the social participation of pupils with ID in inclusive classrooms.
Adverse Drug Reactions in Herding-Breed Dogs : The Role of P-Glycoprotein *

P-glycoprotein, encoded by the MDR1 gene, plays an important role in the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of many drugs.Thus it is not surprising that lack of P-glycoprotein, which occurs in many herding-breed dogs, leads to increased susceptibility to drug toxicosis (e.g., use of ivermectin and other drug sensitivities in collies). By using a genetic test, it is now possible to predict which dogs will experience drug sensitivity and which will tolerate routine doses of drugs. Article #1 CE Send comments/questions via email editor@CompendiumVet.com or fax 800-556-3288. Visit CompendiumVet.com for full-text articles, CE testing, and CE
Multi-response optimization of mechanical and comfort properties of bi-stretch woven fabrics using grey relational analysis in Taguchi method

Abstract The present paper envisages the multi-response optimization of certain factors like elastane linear density, fabric thread density and weave float on some mechanical, (i.e. stretch %, recovery %) and comfort (i.e. air permeability) properties of bi-stretch woven fabrics, under L18 orthogonal array in Taguchi design. Fabric samples were produced using elastane core-spun cotton yarns both in the warp and weft. The elastane linear density, fabric thread density and weave float size were used as predictor variables, while fabric air permeability, stretch and recovery were taken as response variables. Two different elastane linear densities, i.e. 44 dtex and 78 dtex, 3 different thread densities and 3 different weave designs, i.e. 1/1 plain, 2/2 z-twill and 3/3 z-twill were used. The results have been analysed using grey relational analysis for the identification of an optimum level of process factors. Furthermore, using analysis of variance method, significant contributions of predictor variables were determined.
Adsorption of emerging contaminants enhanced by ultrasound irradiation

INTRODUCTION Recently detected pharmaceuticals in the environment, labeled as emerging contaminants (ECs), are linked to serious problems of biodiversity loss, emergence of highly resistant microbial strains, human infertility and cancer. The inability of conventional wastewater treatment plants in removing these ECs causes its widespread occurrence. Thus, protecting the environment from these risks necessitates advanced treatment methods. This study investigates the application of a hybrid process combining ultrasound irradiation simultaneously with activated carbon adsorption to the removal of ECs from synthetic wastewater. Three ECs diclofenac, carbamazepine, and amoxicillin in single component solutions and in mixture are used in equilibrium and kinetic tests. Isotherms and kinetic models were analyzed to understand the adsorption behavior both in the absence and presence of ultrasound at two ultrasonic frequencies (35 and 130 kHz). The influence of the nature of contaminant, the presence of other compounds in the mixture, and the ultrasonic frequency to the removal of ECs are studied. At low powdered activated carbon dose, removals are enhanced in the hybrid process in most cases, and performance is better at higher frequency due to the combined effects of adsorption enhancement and sonolytic degradation. Adsorption enhancement is demonstrated by an increase in adsorption capacity and/or kinetic rate constant.
Advanced lung adenocarcinomas with ROS1-rearrangement frequently show hepatoid cell

Defining distinctive histologic characteristics of ROS1-rearranged non-small-cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs) may help identify cases that merit molecular testing. However, the majority of previous reports have focused on surgical specimens but only limited studies assessed histomorphology of advanced NSCLCs. In order to identify the clinical and histological characteristics of ROS1-rearranged advanced NSCLCs, we examined five hundred sixteen Chinese patients with advanced NSCLCs using ROS1 fluorescence in situ hybridization and real-time polymerase chain reaction and then analyzed for clinical and pathological features. We performed univariate and multivariate analyses to identify predictive factors associated with ROS1 rearrangement. 19 tumors were identified with ROS1 rearrangement (3.7% of adenocarcinomas). 16 ROS1+ and 122 ROS1- samples with available medical records and enough tumor cells were included for histological analysis. Compared with ROS1-negative advanced NSCLCs, ROS1-rearranged advanced NSCLCs were associated with a younger age at presentation. ROS1 rearrangements were not significantly associated with sex, smoking history, drinking history and metastatic sites. The most common histological pattern was solid growth (12/16), followed by acinar (4/16) growth. 66.7% cases with solid growth pattern showed hepatoid cytology (8/12) and 75% cases with acinar growth pattern showed a cribriform structure (3/4). 18.8% cases were found to have abundant extracellular mucus or signet-ring cells (3/16). Only one case with solid growth pattern showed psammomatous calcifications. In conclusion, age, hepatoid cytology and cribriform structure are the independent predictors for ROS1-rearranged advanced NSCLCs, recognizing these may be helpful in finding candidates for genomic alterations, especially when available tissue samples are limited.
Looking without Perceiving: Impaired Preattentive Perceptual Grouping in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Before becoming aware of a visual scene, our perceptual system has organized and selected elements in our environment to which attention should be allocated. Part of this process involves grouping perceptual features into a global whole. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) rely on a more local processing strategy, which may be driven by difficulties perceptually grouping stimuli. We tested this notion using a line discrimination task in which two horizontal lines were superimposed on a background of black and white dots organized so that, on occasion, the dots induced the Ponzo illusion if perceptually grouped together. Results showed that even though neither group was aware of the illusion, the ASD group was significantly less likely than typically developing group to make perceptual judgments influenced by the illusion, revealing difficulties in preattentive grouping of visual stimuli. This may explain why individuals with ASD rely on local processing strategies, and offers new insight into the mechanism driving perceptual grouping in the typically developing human brain.
Evaluation of adhesion pull-off performance of nanoparticle-based inkjet-printed silver structure on various substrates

In this paper, we evaluated two different silver inks that differ about their particle size and used components in ink onto several commonly used substrates in the printed electronics, i.e., PEN, PI, PET, and LCP. Several sintering temperatures and durations were studied to select the right sintering profile for each ink-substrate combination for certain types of electronics application. The results showed that Ag C silver ink has the highest adhesion performance on PET and LCP substrates at 150°C for 60 min compared to the other sintering profile of the same ink which has been used in production of low-cost electronics. On the other hand, Ag H silver ink showed the highest adhesion performance on Kapton PI compared to the sintering profile of the same ink to produce high-frequency electronic applications, miniaturisation of microelectronic packages, and decreasing the width of the microelectronic circuits. In addition, to control the spreading mechanism of the ink droplets, the surface treatment applied before printing process and its effect on adhesion performance after printing and sintering process was investigated on selected ink-substrate combination. Tests results were presented and it showed that the electronic coating was weakening the adhesion performance of that selected ink-substrate combination.
Effect of exogenous xylanase, amylase, and protease as single or combined activities on nutrient digestibility and growth performance of broilers fed corn/soy diets

&NA; Two trials (a 42‐d performance and a 21‐d cohort digestibility) were conducted to evaluate the performance and nutrient digestibility of broilers fed corn diets supplemented with exogenous xylanase, amylase, and protease as single or combined activities. A nutritionally adequate, positive control (PC) diet was formulated. The negative control (NC) diet was formulated to be lower in metabolizable energy (˜86 kcal/kg diet) and digestible amino acids (1 to 2%) compared to PC. The other 4 treatments were based on the NC and they were either supplemented with xylanase (X), amylase (A), protease (P), or a combination of X, A, and P (XAP; to provide 2,000 U of X, 200 U of A, and 4,000 U of P/kg diet). All diets were marginal in AvP and Ca and contained a background of phytase (1,000 FTU/kg). In each trial, male broiler (Ross 308) chicks were allocated to the 5 treatments (10 replicates of 20 birds/pen and 9 replicates of 8 birds/cage for the performance and digestibility trials, respectively). In the digestibility trial, ileal digesta was collected on d21 for the determination of nutrient utilization. Data were subjected to one‐way ANOVA and means were separated by Tukey's HSD test. Only the XAP improved (P < 0.05) AMEn compared to NC. X, A or XAP improved (P < 0.05) N digestibility and apparent ileal digestible energy (AIDE). Both P and XAP improved N retention. The relative improvement in energy digestibility due to enzyme supplementation was greater at the ileal level than that measured in the excreta. The measured changes on AIDE due to supplemental enzymes were much higher than the sum of calculated contributions from starch, fat, and protein. Supplementation of all enzymes reduced (P < 0.05) ileal flow of soluble rhamnose and mannose relative to NC. In the performance trial, both X and XAP improved (P < 0.05) weight gain (WG) and only XAP improved (P < 0.05) FCR compared to NC during the starter phase (1–21d). Over the entire period (1–42d), WG and FI were not influenced (P > 0.05) by dietary treatments. Both X and XAP had lower (P < 0.05) FCR compared to NC (1.540 and 1.509 vs 1.567, respectively). However, birds fed diet supplemented with XAP had an improved (P < 0.05) FCR compared to birds fed single activities and had similar (P > 0.05) FCR compared to PC. In conclusion, these results suggest a synergistic effect between X, A and P on broiler performance and nutrient digestibility. In the current study, AIDE measurements appeared to overestimate the enzyme response. Calculation of the energy contribution by supplemental enzymes using the improvements in the digestibility of the undigested fraction of starch, fat and protein may be a more accurate measurement for the enzyme response than the absolute response in AIDE.
Linear Energy Transfer Modulates Radiation-Induced NF-kappa B Activation and Expression of its Downstream Target Genes

Nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) is a central transcription factor in the immune system and modulates cell survival in response to radiotherapy. Activation of NF-κB was shown to be an early step in the cellular response to ultraviolet A (UVA) and ionizing radiation exposure in human cells. NF-κB activation by the genotoxic stress-dependent sub-pathway after exposure to different radiation qualities had been evaluated to a very limited extent. In addition, the resulting gene expression profile, which shapes the cellular and tissue response, is unknown. Therefore, in this study the activation of NF-κB after exposure to low- and high-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation and the expression of its target genes were analyzed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells. The activation of NF-κB via canonical and genotoxic stress-induced pathways was visualized by the cell line HEK-pNF-κB-d2EGFP/Neo L2 carrying the destabilized enhanced green fluorescent protein (d2EGFP) as reporter. The NF-κB-dependent d2EGFP expression after irradiation with X rays and heavy ions was evaluated by flow cytometry. Because of differences in the extent of NF-κB activation after irradiation with X rays (significant NF-κB activation for doses >4 Gy) and heavy ions (significant NF-κB activation at doses as low as 1 Gy), it was expected that radiation quality (LET) played an important role in the cellular radiation response. In addition, the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of NF-κB activation and reduction of cellular survival were compared for heavy ions having a broad LET range (∼0.3–9,674 keV/μm). Furthermore, the effect of LET on NF-κB target gene expression was analyzed by real-time reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The maximal RBE for NF-κB activation and cell killing occurred at an LET value of 80 and 175 keV/μm, respectively. There was a dose-dependent increase in expression of NF-κB target genes NF-κB1A and CXCL8. A qPCR array of 84 NF-κB target genes revealed that TNF and a set of CXCL genes (CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL8, CXCL10), CCL2, VCAM1, CD83, NF-κB1, NF-κB2 and NF-κBIA were strongly upregulated after exposure to X rays and neon ions (LET 92 keV/μm). After heavy-ion irradiations, it was noted that the expression of NF-κB target genes such as chemokines and CD83 was highest at an LET value that coincided with the LET resulting in maximal NF-κB activation, whereas expression of the NF-κB inhibitory gene NFKBIA was induced transiently by all radiation qualities investigated. Taken together, these findings clearly demonstrate that NF-κB activation and NF-κB-dependent gene expression by heavy ions are highest in the LET range of ∼50–200 keV/μm. The upregulated chemokines and cytokines (CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL10, CXCL8/IL-8 and TNF) could be important for cell–cell communication among hit as well as nonhit cells (bystander effect).
Impact of vision loss on costs and outcomes in medicare beneficiaries with glaucoma.

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of vision loss severity on costs and health outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries with glaucoma. METHODS A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using Medicare claims. Patients were stratified into 4 categories: no vision loss, moderate vision loss, severe vision loss, and blindness. Outcomes of interest were mean annual medical costs by category, component costs, and frequency of depression, falls and/or accidents, injury, femur fracture, and nursing home placement. RESULTS Multivariate regression analysis showed that patients with any degree of vision loss had 46.7% higher total costs compared with patients without vision loss. Mean total and component costs increased with onset and severity ($8157 for no vision loss to $18,670 for blindness). Patients with vision loss were significantly more likely to be placed in a nursing home (odds ratio = 2.18; 95% confidence interval, 2.06-2.31), develop depression (odds ratio = 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.54-1.73), fracture a femur (odds ratio = 1.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.53-2.83), or experience a fall or accident (odds ratio = 1.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.50-1.68) vs patients without vision loss. CONCLUSIONS Vision loss in glaucoma is costly, and costs increase with severity. There is significantly increased risk of nursing home admission, depression, falls and/or accidents, injury, or femur fracture with vision loss compared with no vision loss.
Growth performance and gastrointestinal responses of broiler chickens fed corn-soybean meal diet without or with exogenous epidermal growth factor upon challenge with Eimeria1

&NA; Epidermal growth factor (EGF), a protein known for its mitogenic and anti‐apoptotic effects was fed to broiler chickens to evaluate growth performance, gastrointestinal measurements, and apparent retention (AR) of components upon challenge with Eimeria. A total of 216, d old male broiler chicks (Ross 708) were placed in cages (6 birds/cage) and allocated to treatments. The treatments were: 1) control (Lactotobacilli lactis fermentation supernatant without EGF), 2) 80 &mgr;g of EGF/kg BW/d, and 3) 160 &mgr;g of EGF/kg BW/d. A basal antibiotic‐free corn‐soybean diet containing TiO2 was used. Birds were offered fresh feed with respective treatments on daily basis and had free access to drinking water for 14 d. On d 5, birds (6 replicates per treatment) were challenged with 1 mL of E. acervulina and E. maxima mixture via oral gavage and the other 6 replicates were given sham. Growth performance was measured in pre‐ (d 0 to 5) and post‐ (d 6 to 14) challenge periods. Two birds per cage were necropsied on d 10 for intestinal lesion scores and tissue samples for histomorphology and expression of select intestinal genes. Excreta samples for AR of components and oocyst shedding were taken d 10 to 13 and all birds were necropsied on d 14 for gastrointestinal weight. The EGF linearly (P < 0.05) increased BWG before challenge. There was no EGF and Eimeria interaction (P > 0.05) on growth performance, AR of GE, and intestinal histomorphology; the main effects were such that Eimeria depressed (P < 0.01) BWG, FCR, AR of DM, crude fat, and GE, and villi height to crypt depth ratio. An interaction between EGF and Eimeria (P < 0.05) on indices of gut function was such that EGF improved expression of genes for nutrient transporters and tight junction proteins in Eimeria challenged birds whilst no effect in non‐challenged control. In conclusion, Eimeria challenge reduced growth performance and impaired gut function; EGF showed beneficial effects on growth pre‐challenge and improved indices of gut function upon Eimeria challenge.
The moderating effect of trait emotional intelligence on mood deterioration following laboratory-induced stress

A vast amount of research has documented an association between trait emotional intelligence (EI) and mental health. Several pathways could account for this relationship. First, it is possible that the association between trait EI and mental health is merely an artefact of the methods and measures used (response bias pathway). Second, trait EI may reduce the susceptibility to mental disorders via a succession of biological mechanisms (neuroendocrine pathway). Third, trait EI may reduce one's susceptibility to psychological disorders by minimizing mood alterations in difficult circumstances (affective pathway). This experimental study aims at documenting the third pathway. It presents three experimental studies investigating the moderating role of trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) on mood deterioration following laboratory- induced stress. The incremental validity of trait EI to predict mood changes over and above social desirability, alexithymia, resilience and the five-factor model of personality was also examined. Multiple regressions, performed on the three samples as well as on the combined sample (N = 196), showed that a) trait EI significantly moderated the 1 Preparation of this paper was facilitated by a FSR grant from the universite catholique de Louvain, an FNRS post-doctoral fellowship by the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research, as well as a travel grant to London from the Belgian French-speaking Government (M.M.), Nuffield grant SGS/01075/G (K.V.P.), and grants 1.5. 146.02 and 1.5. 123.04 from the Belgian National Fund for