Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Zinc binding to the gills of rainbow trout : the e ff ect of long-term exposure to sublethal zinc

The effects of sublethal waterborne Zn (2·28 ìmol l) on Zn binding kinetics to the apical gill surface were studied in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Two separate radiotracer techniques were employed to ascertain this information. First, in vitro binding kinetic experiments were performed at extremely elevated zinc concentrations (up to 20 mmol l) to measure relatively low-affinity binding sites at the gill epithelium. There were no differences in Zn binding parameters (Km and Bmax) for fish sublethally exposed to Zn for 21 days and their simultaneous controls. Nevertheless, Ca did have an increased inhibitory effect on Zn binding in Zn-exposed fish suggesting that the anionic groups on the gill epithelium of these fish had been altered in some manner. Additionally, in vivo Zn binding kinetics were investigated using environmentally relevant waterborne Zn concentrations (low ìmol l range) to isolate highaffinity Zn binding sites (Ca transporters). No appreciable alterations in the Km and Bmax values for Zn binding were seen between the Zn-exposed group and its simultaneous control following 15 days of exposure. Furthermore, no significant differences in CC morphometry were observed between treatments. Despite these lack of treatment effects, there were temporal alterations in Km, Bmax and CC fractional surface area in both groups. It is proposed that these fluctuations are controlled by hormonal factors (such as stanniocalcin), believed to play a role in Ca influx. 1998 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles
Donor-specific Antibody Surveillance and Graft Outcomes in Pediatric Kidney Transplant Recipients

Background The development of de novo donor-specific antibodies (dnDSA) has been associated with rejection and graft loss in kidney transplantation, and DSA screening is now recommended in all kidney transplant recipients. However, the clinical significance of dnDSA detected by screening patients with a stable creatinine remains unclear. Methods One hundred three patients younger than 18years receiving a first, kidney alone transplant between December 1, 2007, and December 31, 2013, underwent DSA screening every 3months for 2years posttransplant, with additional testing as clinically indicated. No treatment was given for DSAs in the absence of biopsy-proven rejection. Results Twenty (19%) patients had dnDSA first detected on a screening test, and 13 (13%) patients had dnDSA first detected on a for-cause test. Mean follow-up time posttransplant was 4.4years. Screening-detected dnDSA was associated with an increased risk of rejection within 3years, microvascular inflammation, and C4d staining on a 2-year protocol biopsy. In a Cox proportional hazards regression, screening-detected dnDSA was not associated with time to 30% decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.30-2.00; P=0.598) or graft loss. dnDSA first detected on for-cause testing was associated with a 2.8 times increased risk of decline in graft function (95% CI, 1.08-7.27; P=0.034) and a 7.34 times increased risk of graft loss (95% CI, 1.37-39.23 P=0.020) compared with those who did not develop dnDSA. Conclusions The clinical setting in which dnDSA is first detected impacts the association between dnDSA and graft function. Further research is needed to clarify the role of dnDSA screening in pediatric kidney transplantation.
Metabolic Effects of Betaine: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Betaine Supplementation in Prediabetes

Context Plasma betaine correlates with insulin sensitivity in humans. Betaine supplementation improves metabolic effects in mice fed a high-fat diet. Objective To assess metabolic effects of oral betaine in obese participants with prediabetes. Design A 12-week, parallel arm, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial. Setting University-affiliated hospital. Participants and Interventions Persons with obesity and prediabetes (N = 27) were randomly assigned to receive betaine 3300 mg orally twice daily for 10 days, then 4950 mg twice daily for 12 weeks, or placebo. Main Outcome Measures Changes from baseline in insulin sensitivity, glycemia, hepatic fat, and endothelial function. Results There was a 16.5-fold increase in plasma dimethylglycine [dimethylglycine (DMG); P < 0.0001] levels, but modest 1.3- and 1.5-fold increases in downstream serine and methionine levels, respectively, in the betaine vs placebo arm. Betaine tended to reduce fasting glucose levels (P = 0.08 vs placebo) but had no other effect on glycemia. Insulin area under curve after oral glucose was reduced for betaine treatment compared with placebo (P = 0.038). Insulin sensitivity, assessed by euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp, was not improved. Serum total cholesterol levels increased after betaine treatment compared with placebo (P = 0.032). There were no differences in change in intrahepatic triglyceride or endothelial function between groups. Conclusion DMG accumulation supports DMG dehydrogenase as rate limiting for betaine metabolism in persons with prediabetes. Betaine had little metabolic effect. Additional studies may elucidate mechanisms contributing to differences between preclinical and human responses to betaine, and whether supplementation of metabolites downstream of DMG improves metabolism.
Masked hypertension and chronic kidney disease: the role of out-of-office blood pressure monitoring.

M asked hypertension is the most uncertain hypertension phenotype often leading to diagnostic failure and undertreatment [1]. Traditionally masked hypertension has been defined as the presence of normal office (O) blood pressure (BP) at the time of consultation, but elevated out-of-office BP levels either on ambulatory (ABPM) or home BP monitoring (HBPM) [2,3]. In patients already on antihypertensive treatment, masked hypertension is referred to as masked uncontrolled/resistant hypertension (MUCH), that is, when OBP is normalized, but out-of-office BP levels remain elevated despite of treatment [2,3]. The 2013 ESH/ESC Guidelines were the first to recommend considering treatment of masked hypertension, because of its clinical significance and the accumulated evidence showing the overall negative impact of masked hypertension on cardiovascular prognosis (i.e. which is close to that of sustained hypertension) [4–11]. The recent 2017 United States Guidelines have made a step forward by recommending that such cases should be identified among untreated and treated individuals and treatment decisions be based on out-of-office BP (ambulatory or home) [12]. These recommendations appear to be of particular relevance in African Americans, who are characterized by a higher prevalence of nocturnal hypertension and nondipping BP pattern, and thus represent a special population for investigating masked hypertension. African Americans are known to have higher levels of OBP and prevalence of hypertension than whites, which starts earlier and is associated with higher cardiovascular risk [13,14]. Population studies implementing ABPM have also indicated higher average 24-h BP levels and variability in African Americans
Demographic, psychiatric, and personality correlates of adults seeking treatment for disordered gambling with a comorbid binge/purge type eating disorder

Preliminary evidence suggests that binge/purge type eating disorders and gambling disorder may commonly co-occur. However, this dual-diagnosis population remains understudied. The present research examined the prevalence rates and correlates of binge/purge type eating disorders (i.e., bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and anorexia nervosa binge/purge type) among adults seeking treatment for their gambling (N = 349). In total, 11.5% of the sample (n = 40) met criteria for a binge/purge type eating disorder, most commonly bulimia nervosa (n = 33). There was a higher preponderance of binge/purge type eating disorders in women. People with a comorbid binge/purge type eating disorder reported more days gambling, gambling-related cognitive distortions, impulsivity, suicidality, and other current psychiatric comorbidities including addictive behaviours. These findings suggest that binge/purge type eating disorders in people seeking treatment for gambling may be more common than previously believed. Furthermore, the increased psychopathology among people with binge/purge type eating disorder and gambling disorder identify vulnerabilities of this dual-diagnosed population that may require clinical attention.
Altered Regional Cerebral Blood Flow of Right Cerebellum Posterior Lobe in Asthmatic Patients With or Without Depressive Symptoms

Background: Asthma is a chronic disease appeared to be associated with depression. But the underpinnings of depression in asthma remain unknown. In order to understand the neural mechanisms of depression in asthma, we used cerebral blood flow (CBF) to probe the difference between depressed asthmatic (DA) and non-depressed asthmatic (NDA) patients. Methods: Eighteen DA patients, 24 NDA patients and 57 healthy controls (HC) received pulsed arterial spin labeling (pASL) scan for measuring CBF, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scan, severity of depression and asthma control assessment, respectively. Results: Compared to NDA, DA patients showed increased regional CBF (rCBF) in the right cerebellum posterior lobe. Compared to HC, DA, and NDA patients all showed significantly decreased rCBF in the right cerebellum posterior lobe. Conclusions: We showed the first evidence of altered rCBF in the right cerebellum posterior lobe in asthma using pASL, which appeared to be involved in the neuropathology in asthma. Clinical Trial Registration: An investigation of therapeutic mechanism in asthmatic patients: based on the results of Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Registration number: ChiCTR-COC-15007442) (http://www.chictr.org.cn/usercenter.aspx).
Fighting Crime in the Cradle : The Effects of Early Childhood Food Stamp Access

Despite the extraordinary social costs of crime, relatively little is known about the early life determinants of later criminal behavior. We explore the effect of access to nutritional assistance in early childhood. Using variation in the rollout of the Food Stamp Program (FSP) in the 1960s and 70s, combined with criminal conviction data from North Carolina, we find that FSP availability in early childhood leads to large reductions in later criminal behavior. Each additional year of FSP availability in early childhood reduces the likelihood of a criminal conviction in adulthood by 3-4 percent. FSP availability has particularly strong effects on the most costly crime types for society: violent and felony convictions. These effects are substantially larger for non-whites, consistent with the higher levels of FSP participation in this population. Analogous estimates derived from the FBIs Uniform Crime Report data suggest similar reductions in arrests for violent crime. These results reveal an important additional benefit of the FSP and point to the existence of a previously unknown causal link between childhood nutrition and later criminal behavior. Even under conservative assumptions, the discounted social benefits from the FSP’s later crime reduction exceed the costs of the program over this time period. ∗We thank Amanda Agan, Marianne Bitler, Jennifer Doleac, Mark Hoekstra, Hilary Hoynes, Jason Lindo, David Lyle, Katherine Meckel, Marianne Page, Richard Patterson, and participants at the 2016 Stata Applied Micro conference and the seminar of the Institute for Research on Poverty at UC-Davis for helpful comments and suggestions. We also thank Marianne Bitler for sharing CDP data collected from the National Archives. The opinions expressed herein reflect the personal views of the authors and not those of the U.S. Army or the Department of Defense. All errors are our own.
Molecular basis of non-syndromic hypospadias: systematic mutation screening and genome-wide copy-number analysis of 62 patients.

STUDY QUESTION What percentage of cases with non-syndromic hypospadias can be ascribed to mutations in known causative/candidate/susceptibility genes or submicroscopic copy-number variations (CNVs) in the genome? SUMMARY ANSWER Monogenic and digenic mutations in known causative genes and cryptic CNVs account for >10% of cases with non-syndromic hypospadias. While known susceptibility polymorphisms appear to play a minor role in the development of this condition, further studies are required to validate this observation. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Fifteen causative, three candidate, and 14 susceptible genes, and a few submicroscopic CNVs have been implicated in non-syndromic hypospadias. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Systematic mutation screening and genome-wide copy-number analysis of 62 patients. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The study group consisted of 57 Japanese and five Vietnamese patients with non-syndromic hypospadias. Systematic mutation screening was performed for 25 known causative/candidate/susceptibility genes using a next-generation sequencer. Functional consequences of nucleotide alterations were assessed by in silico assays. The frequencies of polymorphisms in the patient group were compared with those in the male general population. CNVs were analyzed by array-based comparative genomic hybridization and characterized by fluorescence in situ hybridization. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Seven of 62 patients with anterior or posterior hypospadias carried putative pathogenic mutations, such as hemizygous mutations in AR, a heterozygous mutation in BNC2, and homozygous mutations in SRD5A2 and HSD3B2. Two of the seven patients had mutations in multiple genes. We did not find any rare polymorphisms that were abundant specifically in the patient group. One patient carried mosaic dicentric Y chromosome. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The patient group consisted solely of Japanese and Vietnamese individuals and clinical and hormonal information of the patients remained rather fragmentary. In addition, mutation analysis focused on protein-altering substitutions. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Our data provide evidence that pathogenic mutations can underlie both mild and severe hypospadias and that HSD3B2 mutations cause non-syndromic hypospadias as a sole clinical manifestation. Most importantly, this is the first report documenting possible oligogenicity of non-syndromic hypospadias. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS This study was funded by the Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; by the Grant-in-Aid from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science; by the Grants from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, from the National Center for Child Health and Development and from the Takeda Foundation. The authors have no competing interests to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER Not applicable.
Field screening of different rice entries against different insect-pests of rice during kharif season

The different rice entries were screened out against stem borer, leaf folder and whorl maggot of rice during kharif, 2014 at Rice Research Station, Chinsurah, Hooghly, West Bengal. The experiment was carried out to note the reaction of promising advanced cultures with four check varieties viz. DRRH 2, Surakha, IR 64 and Taichung Native 1 (TN 1) against insect-pests of rice with a view to identify multiple resistant varieties. The lowest dead heart infestation was recorded in RP 5163-200-5-4-2 (0.70%) followed by RNT 14-1-1-2-2 (0.83%), IR 64 (0.49%) and RP 5588-B-B-B-B-76 (1.08%). Lowest white heads was observed in CR 1898-32-69-CN-12-2 (0.90%) followed by RP Bio 4918-142 (1.45%) and RP 2068-18-3-5 (1.60%). The lowest leaf folder infestation was noticed in RP 5588 (0.57%) followed by DRRH 2 (0.76%), CR 2274-2-3-3-1 (0.88%) and RP 5588-B-B-B-B-116 (0.93%). The minimum whorl maggot incidence was observed in RP 5587-B-B-B-267-1 (4.78%) followed by RP 5588-B-B-B-B-76 (5.09%), RP 5588-B-B-B-258-1 (5.16%) and RP 5588-B-B-B-133 (5.29%) entries. This experiment resulted that CN 2008-3-2, CN 2017-3-2 and W1263 are the multiple resistant entries against all the test insect-pests, CR 2274-2-3-3-1, RP 5587-B-B-B-305-13, CN 2015-5-4, IET 23148 and CN 1233-33-9 against stem borer and leaf folder and RP 2068-18-3-5, RP 5588-B-B-B-B-76 and RNT 14-1-1-2-2 against stem borer and whorl maggot.
Ability of different measures of adiposity in identifying adverse levels of inflammatory and metabolic markers in adolescents

Background: Overweight and obesity have been associated with a pro-inflammatory state. We aimed to assess the ability of different measures of overall and abdominal adiposity for identifying adverse levels of inflammatory and metabolic markers in adolescents. Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis with 529 Portuguese adolescents (267 girls), mean age 14.3 ± 1.7 years. Weight, height, sitting height, waist circumference (WC), and body fat percentage (BF%) were measured; and BMI, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and waist-to-sitting-height ratio (WsHtR) were calculated. We measured C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), complements C3 and C4, leptin, and adiponectin levels. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to estimate the ability of the adiposity measures to discriminate between low/high values of biomarkers. Results: The highest areas under the ROC curves were presented by BF% for fibrinogen and complement C3 in both sexes and for ESR, complement C4, and adiponectin only in girls; by BMI for CRP in girls and for leptin in both sexes; by WHtR for leptin in both sexes and for CRP, fibrinogen, and adiponectin only in girls; by waist circumference for CRP, fibrinogen, and complement C3 only in boys and for complement C4 in girls; and by WsHtR for complement C3 in girls; p < 0.05 for all. Conclusions: The measures that more often presented discriminatory power were, for overall adiposity, BF% in both sexes, and for abdominal adiposity, WHtR in girls and WC in boys. However, small differences in discriminatory capabilities don't allow us to clearly defend the adoption of a single measure above all others.
Anethole reduces oxidative stress and improves in vitro survival and activation of primordial follicles

Primordial follicles, the main source of oocytes in the ovary, are essential for the maintenance of fertility throughout the reproductive lifespan. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports describing the effect of anethole on this important ovarian follicle population. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of different anethole concentrations on the in vitro culture of caprine preantral follicles enclosed in ovarian tissue. Randomized ovarian fragments were fixed immediately (non-cultured treatment) or distributed into five treatments: α-MEM+ (cultured control), α-MEM+ supplemented with ascorbic acid at 50 μg/mL (AA), and anethole at 30 (AN30), 300 (AN300), or 2000 µg/mL (AN2000), for 1 or 7 days. After 7 days of culture, a significantly higher percentage of morphologically normal follicles was observed when anethole at 2000 μg/mL was used. For both culture times, a greater percentage of growing follicles was observed with the AN30 treatment compared to AA and AN2000 treatments. Anethole at 30 and 2000 µg/mL concentrations at days 1 and 7 of culture resulted in significantly larger follicular diameter than in the cultured control treatment. Anethole at 30 µg/mL concentration at day 7 showed significantly greater oocyte diameter than the other treatments, except when compared to the AN2000 treatment. At day 7 of culture, levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were significantly lower in the AN30 treatment than the other treatments. In conclusion, supplementation of culture medium with anethole improves survival and early follicle development at different concentrations in the caprine species.
Hospitalisations during the final three years of life.

BAKGRUNN Kunnskap om sykehusbruk i livets sluttfase er nyttig for å forstå behovet for sykehustjenester. MATERIALE OG METODE Registeropplysninger fra Statistisk sentralbyrå og Norsk pasientregister er brukt for å analysere tallet på innleggelser ved somatiske sykehus de siste tre leveårene blant individer som døde i alderen 56-95 år. RESULTATER Analyseutvalget besto av 35 954 individer som hadde 136 484 innleggelser i observasjonsperioden. De som døde da de var 56-65 år hadde 5,2 innleggelser i gjennomsnitt de siste tre leveårene, mot 2,8 for dødsalder 86-95 år. 14,1 % hadde ingen innleggelser, mens 13,3 % hadde åtte eller flere. De som døde på grunn av ondartede svulster hadde 5,6 innleggelser i gjennomsnitt, mot 4,2 hvis dødsfallet skyldtes åndedrettslidelser, og 3,1 om årsaken var sirkulasjonssykdom. FORTOLKNING Krevende behandlinger er antatt å ha mindre sjanse for å lykkes blant eldre pasienter. Dette kan være en grunn til færre sykehusinnleggelser i livets sluttfase blant 80- og 90-åringer enn blant de som døde i 60- og 70-årsalderen. Gjennomsnittsalder ved død vil øke etter hvert som levealderen stiger, og derfor vil aldersvariasjonen i sykehusinnleggelser de siste leveårene ha betydning for behovet for sykehusinnleggelser.
Oral Candida carriage among cigarette- and waterpipe-smokers, and electronic cigarette users.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare oral Candida carriage among cigarette- and waterpipe-smokers, electronic cigarette (E-Cig) users, and never-smokers. METHODS Demographic data and information regarding smoking and vaping were collected using a questionnaire. Number of missing teeth and unstimulated whole salivary flow rate (UWSFR) were recorded. Oral Candida samples were collected and identified using concentrated oral rinse culture technique and PCR, respectively. Level of significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS Thirty-four cigarette-smokers (Group-1), 33 waterpipe-smokers (Group-2), 30 E-Cig users (Group-3), and 32 never-smokers (Group-4) were included. All were male participants with comparable mean ages. In groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, oral Candida carriage rate was 100%, 100%, 83.3% and 50%, respectively. The most commonly isolated oral yeast species in all groups was C. albicans. C. albicans carriage was significantly higher in groups 1 (p < 0.05), 2 (p < 0.05), and 3 (p < 0.05) than Group-4. Data stratification for age, missing teeth, and UWSFR showed no significant difference in oral yeasts carriage in groups 1, 2, and 3. CONCLUSIONS Oral C. albicans carriage was significantly higher among cigarette- and waterpipe-smokers and E-Cig users than never-smokers. No significant differences were identified among groups in the oral carriage of other Candida species.