Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti-Oxidant Activity and Dust-Proof Effect of Chitosan with Different Molecular Weights

High molecular weight chitosan (HMWC) was degraded to prepare chitosan with different molecular weight based on the fenton reaction, which can produce aggressive OH-radicals produced from hydrogen peroxide in the presence of catalytic metal ions. The relative molecular weight, anti-oxidant activity, and fine dust removal effect of chitosan hydrolysates were elucidated to define their molecular weight and their potent biological activity. Our results demonstrate that chitosan hydrolysates derived from the hydrolysis of HMWC may possess significant free-radical scavenging activity as good anti-oxidants against the radical scavenging activity of DPPH and ABTS, respectively. Furthermore, chitosan hydrolysates can effectively eliminate fine dust, which may contain some particulate matter (PM) and unknown species of microorganisms from the air, suggesting that our data provide important information for producing air filters, dust-proof masks and skin cleaner for the purpose of human healthcare and well-being.
Women Publishing in American Psychological Association Journals: A Gender Analysis of Six Decades

Despite recent advances, gender inequality persists in many scientific fields, and Psychology is not alien to this phenomenon. This study presents the evolution of gender composition in American Psychological Association publications in the past six decades, from 1963 to 2016. Longitudinal analysis revealed an important change: women rose from a tiny 12% to 14% in the 1960s to almost gender parity in the last decade (2010s). The pattern of collaboration (coauthorship) shows that women tend to be slightly overrepresented as first author and underrepresented as the last or senior author. In the last two decades, women outnumber men as “new” American Psychological Association authors (authors who publish for the first time in an American Psychological Association journal). These features and the fact that men’s publications tend to encompass a much wider range of years suggest that age may play a role in the gender composition of American Psychological Association contributors.
Activation of the VEGFC/VEGFR3 pathway induces tumor immune escape in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer-related death in Western countries and is associated with increased numbers of lymphatic vessels (LVs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). The VEGFC/VEGFR3 pathway is regarded as the principal inducer of lymphangiogenesis and it contributes to metastases; however, no data are available regarding its role during primary CRC development. We found that both VEGFC and VEGFR3 were upregulated in human non-metastatic CRC, with VEGFR3 expressed on both LVs and TAMs. With the use of three different preclinical models of CRC, we also discovered that the VEGFC/VEGFR3 axis can shape both lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) and TAMs to synergistically inhibit anti-tumor immunity and promote primary CRC growth. Therefore, VEGFR3-directed therapy could be envisioned for the treatment of non-metastatic CRC.
Vitamin D status, gender and cardiovascular diseases: a systematic review of prospective epidemiological studies

ABSTRACT Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is highly suggested as an emerging risk factor in primary and secondary cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. However, there remains controversy regarding the need for vitamin D supplementation in high CVD risk individuals to prevent cardiac episodes and to achieve a better prognosis. Another literature gap is the potential existence of sex-specific associations of this factor with major CVD events or surrogate markers. The interaction of vitamin D and its metabolites with gene-mediated paths as well as lifestyle parameters sets the hypothesis for different effect of this factor on vascular health between men and women. Areas covered: The aim of the systematic review was to summarize the hitherto data on the association of vitamin D with CVD prevention or progression, separately for men and women. Studies were eligible if they were published research epidemiological studies evaluating the gender-specific effect of vitamin D metabolic serum concentrations on CVD onset, progression or mortality. Expert opinion: An unequivocal association between vitamin D deficiency and CVD has been demonstrated by large-scale epidemiological studies yet with inconclusive remarks from the standpoint of sex-specific highlights. Epidemiological and experimental studies designed to draw conclusions specified in men and women are demanded.
Mindfulness and Acceptance–Based Group Therapy: An Uncontrolled Pragmatic Pre–Post Pilot Study in a Heterogeneous Population of Female Prisoners

The rate of females imprisoned worldwide has increased by more than 50% during the last two decades, with recent figures suggesting that, worldwide, the female prison population may still be increasing at a faster rate than males. Despite prevalence rates for psychiatric conditions among female prisoners being significantly higher than males, there is a particular lack of programs specifically designed for women. This preliminary study evaluates the initial effectiveness of a mindfulness and acceptance–based group program in an uncontrolled pragmatic pilot study of a heterogeneous group of incarcerated women with a range of mental health issues. Participants were 59 incarcerated women who engaged in a 10-session group program. Outcome measures comprised the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, and three screening tools derived from the full version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), to measure depression, binge eating (Patient Health Questionnaire–Binge Eating Disorder [PHQ-ED]), and somatoform disorders (PHQ-15). Results of linear mixed modelling showed improvements in mindfulness and acceptance, and reductions in depression, anxiety, and somatoform symptoms. Furthermore, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) was shown to be an acceptable and feasible intervention for female Indigenous Australian prisoners. A mindfulness and acceptance–based group approach appears to be feasible and acceptable in a prison environment for a female prisoners with a range of mental health symptomatology.
Efficacy of second-line targeted agents in kras wild metastatic colorectal cancer patients who received prior targeted agent: First anti-epidermal growth factor receptor or vascular endothelial growth factor in right and left colon?

Introduction We aimed to investigate the impact of first biological agents on second-line biological agents in kras wild-type metastatic colon patients in right and left colon. Patients and methods The patients received anti-EGFR compared with anti-VEGF in right and left colon separately according to progression-free survival and overall survival in second line. Results A total of 84 patients were included in the study. In left colon, progression-free survival and overall survival were 9 and 14 months for anti-EGFR and 9 and 16 months for anti-VEGF in the second line. In right colon, progression-free survival and overall survival were 5 and 9 months for anti-EGFR and 4 and 6 months for anti-VEGF in the second line. Conclusions Progression-free survival was higher in patients who received bevacizumab first followed by anti-EGFR than reverse sequencing in right colon. Overall survival was similar between two groups.
Choroidal macrovessel: Optical coherence tomography angiography and imaging features

Cite this article as: Casalino G, De Simone L, Scialdone A, Pavesio C. Choroidal macrovessel: Optical coherence tomography angiography and imaging features. Indian J Ophthalmol 2019;67:1168-70. This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non‐commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
One-shot pattern projection for dense and accurate 3D reconstruction in structured light

This thesis focuses on the problem of 3D acquisition using coded structured light (CSL). In CSL, a projected pattern impinges artificial texture onto the object surface, increasing the number of correspondences in the retrieved image. Finally, 3D acquisition is pursued by triangulation. An active research is being done in CSL techniques for moving scenarios. In this thesis, a review of the main CSL approaches is presented. Afterwards, we perform a deep study of the two most used frequency-based techniques, and a new proposal for automatic selection of the window width using Windowed Fourier Transform (WFT). Using this analysis, we implemented a new technique for one-shot dense acquisition, able to work in moving scenarios. The technique is based on adaptive WFT and DeBruijn coding. The results show the proposed method obtains dense acquisition with accuracy levels comparable to DeBruijn algorithms. Finally, the thesis focuses on the problem of registration in SL.
Role of intracellular Ca2+–based mechanotransduction of human periodontal ligament fibroblasts

Human periodontal ligament (hPDL) fibroblasts are thought to receive mechanical stress (MS) produced by orthodontic tooth movement, thereby regulating alveolar bone remodeling. However, the role of intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i)‐based mechanotransduction is not fully understood. We explored the MS‐induced [Ca2+]i responses both in isolated hPDL fibroblasts and in intact hPDL tissue and investigated its possible role in alveolar bone remodeling. hPDL fibroblasts were obtained from healthy donors' premolars that had been extracted for orthodontic reasons. The oscillatory [Ca2+]i activity induced by static compressive force was measured by a live‐cell Ca2+ imaging system and evaluated by several feature extraction method. The spatial pattern of cell‐cell communication was investigated by Moran's I, an index of spatial autocorrelation and the gap junction (GJ) inhibitor. The Ca2+‐transporting ionophore A23187 was used to further investigate the role of [Ca2+]i up‐regulation in hPDL cell behavior. hPDL fibroblasts displayed autonomous [Ca2+]i responses. Compressive MS activated this autonomous responsive behavior with an increased percentage of responsive cells both in vitro and ex vivo. The integration, variance, maximum amplitude, waveform length, and index J in the [Ca2+]i responses were also significantly increased, whereas the mean power frequency was attenuated in response to MS. The increased Moran's I after MS indicated that MS might affect the pattern of cell‐cell communication via GJs. Similar to the findings of MS‐mediated regulation, the A23187‐mediated [Ca2+]i uptake resulted in the up‐regulation of receptor activator of NF‐κB ligand (Rankl) and Sost along with increased sclerostin immunoreactivity, suggesting that [Ca2+]i signaling networks may be involved in bone remodeling. In addition, A23187‐treated hPDL fibroblasts also showed the suppression of osteogenic differentiation and mineralization. Our findings suggest that augmented MS‐mediated [Ca2+]i oscillations in hPDL fibroblasts enhance the production and release of bone regulatory signals via Rankl/Osteoprotegerin and the canonical Wnt/β‐catenin pathway as an early process in tooth movement–initiated alveolar bone remodeling. —Ei Hsu Hlaing, E. , Ishihara, Y. , Wang, Z. , Odagaki, N. , Kamioka, H. Role of intracellular Ca2+‐based mechanotransduction of human periodontal ligament fibroblasts. FASEB J. 33, 10409–10424 (2019). www.fasebj. org
Associations of Cigarettes Smoked Per Day with Biomarkers of Exposure Among U.S. Adult Cigarette Smokers in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Wave 1 (2013–2014)

Background: The dose–response relationships between number of cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) and health outcomes, such as cancer and heart disease, are well established, but much less is known about the relationships between CPD and biomarkers of exposure. Methods: We analyzed biomarker data by CPD from more than 2,700 adult daily cigarette smokers in Wave 1 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. Tobacco use categories consisted of exclusive cigarette smokers, dual cigarette and e-cigarette users, and dual cigarette and smokeless tobacco users. Results: Biomarker concentrations consistently increased with CPD for each tobacco user group, although concentrations tended to level off at high smoking levels, such as those at and above 20 CPD. Dual cigarette and e-cigarette users had higher levels of some biomarkers such as Total Nicotine Equivalents-2 (P = 0.0036) than exclusive cigarette smokers, and dual cigarette and smokeless tobacco users had higher levels of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (P < 0.0001) and N′-nitrosonornicotine (P = 0.0236) than exclusive cigarette smokers. Conclusions: Among daily smokers, exposure to tobacco toxicants and constituents exhibits a dose–response relationship by number of cigarettes smoked, but the relationship is not necessarily linear in form. Dual users of cigarettes with either e-cigarettes or smokeless tobacco are exposed to higher levels of certain toxicants and carcinogens than exclusive cigarette smokers. Impact: Availability of biomarker data by CPD may aid in comparisons between cigarette smoking and use of new and potentially reduced exposure tobacco products, which may result in different levels of constituent and toxicant exposure.
Self-reported social impairments predict depressive disorder in adults with autism spectrum disorder

In adults with autism spectrum disorder, co-occurring psychiatric conditions are prevalent, and depression is one of the most common co-occurring disorders. This study examined the relationship between depression and cognitive ability, autism symptom severity, and self-reported social impairments in autism spectrum disorder. A total of 33 adults with autism spectrum disorder and 28 adults with typical development completed a standardized psychiatric interview, cognitive test, measure of clinician-rated autism symptom severity, and self-report of social impairments. Nine participants with autism spectrum disorder (27%) met the criteria for a depressive disorder (autism spectrum disorder + depressive disorder). Relatively more females with autism spectrum disorder had a co-occurring depressive disorder. The typical development group had a higher intelligence quotient than the autism spectrum disorder group, but the autism spectrum disorder + depressive disorder group did not differ from the typical development or autism spectrum disorder group. While the autism spectrum disorder + depressive disorder group had lower clinician-rated autism symptom severity than the autism spectrum disorder group, the autism spectrum disorder + depressive disorder group reported more social impairments than the autism spectrum disorder group. Self-reported social impairments predicted depression in adults with autism spectrum disorder when accounting for symptom severity and cognitive ability. These findings suggest that more self-perceived social impairments are related to depressive disorders in autism spectrum disorder, and may help clinicians identify individuals who are vulnerable in developing a co-occurring depressive disorder. Future directions include follow-up studies with larger cohorts and longitudinal designs to support inferences regarding directionality of these relationships.
DNA methyltransferase inhibition reduces inflammation-induced colon tumorigenesis

ABSTRACT Chronic inflammation is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. DNA hypermethylation of CpG islands alters the expression of genes in cancer cells and plays an important role in carcinogenesis. Chronic inflammation is also associated with DNA methylation alterations and in a mouse model of inflammation-induced colon tumorigenesis, we previously demonstrated that inflammation-induced tumours have 203 unique regions with DNA hypermethylation compared to uninflamed epithelium. To determine if altering inflammation-induced DNA hypermethylation reduces tumorigenesis, we used the same mouse model and treated mice with the DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor decitabine (DAC) throughout the tumorigenesis time frame. DAC treatment caused a significant reduction in colon tumorigenesis. The tumours that did form after DAC treatment had reduced inflammation-specific DNA hypermethylation and alteration of expression of associated candidate genes. When compared, inflammation-induced tumours from control (PBS-treated) mice were enriched for cell proliferation associated gene expression pathways whereas inflammation-induced tumours from DAC-treated mice were enriched for interferon gene signatures. To further understand the altered tumorigenesis, we derived tumoroids from the different tumour types. Interestingly, tumoroids derived from inflammation-induced tumours from control mice maintained many of the inflammation-induced DNA hypermethylation alterations and had higher levels of DNA hypermethylation at these regions than tumoroids from DAC-treated mice. Importantly, tumoroids derived from inflammation-induced tumours from the DAC-treated mice proliferated more slowly than those derived from the inflammation-induced tumours from control mice. These studies suggest that inhibition of inflammation-induced DNA hypermethylation may be an effective strategy to reduce inflammation-induced tumorigenesis.
From in vitro to ex vivo: subcellular localization and uptake of graphene quantum dots into solid tumors

Among various nanoparticles tested for pharmacological applications over the recent years, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) seem to be promising candidates for the construction of drug delivery systems due to their superior biophysical and biochemical properties. The subcellular fate of incorporated nanomaterial is decisive for transporting pharmaceuticals into target cells. Therefore a detailed characterization of the uptake of GQDs into different breast cancer models was performed. The demonstrated accumulation inside the endolysosomal system might be the reason for the particles’ low toxicity, but has to be overcome for cytosolic or nuclear drug delivery. Furthermore, the penetration of GQDs into precision-cut mammary tumor slices was studied. These constitute a far closer to reality model system than monoclonal cell lines. The constant uptake into the depth of the tissue slices underlines the systems’ potential for drug delivery into solid tumors.
Which Phish Is on the Hook? Phishing Vulnerability for Older Versus Younger Adults

Objective To determine if there are age-related differences in phishing vulnerability and if those differences exist under various task conditions (e.g., framing and time pressure). Background Previous research suggests that older adults may be a vulnerable population to phishing attacks. Most research exploring age differences has used limiting designs, including retrospective self-report measures and restricted email sets. Method The present studies explored how older and younger adults classify a diverse sample of 100 legitimate and phishing emails. In Experiment 1, participants rated the emails as either spam or not spam. Experiment 2 explored how framing would alter the results when participants rated emails as safe or not safe. In Experiment 3, participants performed the same task as Experiment 1, but were put under time pressure. Results No age differences were observed in overall classification accuracy across the three experiments, rather all participants exhibited poor performance (20%–30% errors). Older adults took significantly longer to make classifications and were more liberal in classifying emails as spam or not safe. Time pressure seemed to remove this bias but did not influence overall accuracy. Conclusion Older adults appear to be more cautious when classifying emails. However, being extra careful may come at the cost of classification speed and does not seem to improve accuracy. Application Age demographics should be considered in the implementation of a cyber-training methodology. Younger adults may be less vigilant against cyber threats than initially predicted; older adults might be less prone to deception when given unlimited time to respond.
Cue Utilization Differentiates Performance in the Management of Interruptions

Objective To examine the role of cue utilization in the management of interruptions during a high workload, rail control simulation. Background High-risk, high-consequence environments are characterized by cognitively demanding, time-critical activities, in which operators are required to manage frequent interruptions under conditions of high workload. Interruptions are deleterious to performance as they impose excessive cognitive demand on limited working memory resources, thereby depleting residual resources for the primary task. Cue utilization may enable superior performance in managing interruptions through efficiencies gained by the application of implicit patterns stored in long-term memory. Method Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, 46 university students undertook an assessment of cue utilization and subsequently engaged in a high workload, simulated rail control task while managing multiple interruptive tasks. Experiment 2 replicated and extended Experiment 1, wherein 52 university students completed a measure of cue utilization and engaged in a high workload, simulated rail control task while managing multiple interruptions and breaks. Results The analyses revealed that participants who demonstrated a greater capacity for cue utilization also demonstrated a reduced loss of performance following interruptions. Conclusion The outcomes suggest a relationship between a greater capacity for cue utilization and superior performance in the management of interruptions in high workload conditions. Application Assessments of cue utilization may assist in the selection and training of operators in high-consequence, high-risk environments, to ensure efficient and accurate performance during the management of interruptions.