Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) Oligopeptides Protect Against Binge Drinking-Induced Liver Damage through Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Rats

Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer (ginseng) is an edible and traditional medicinal herb, which is reported to have a wide range of biological activity and pharmaceutical properties. There were more studies on ginsenoside and polysaccharides, but fewer on ginseng oligopeptides (GOPs), which are small molecule oligopeptides extracted from ginseng. The present study was designed to investigate the effects and underlying mechanism of ginseng oligopeptide (GOPs) on binge drinking-induced alcohol damage in rats. Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to six groups (n = 10), rats in normal control group and alcohol model group was administered distilled water; rats in four GOPs intervention groups (at a dose of 0.0625, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5 g/kg of body weight, respectively) were administered GOPs once a day for 30 days. Experiment rats were intragastrically administered ethanol at a one-time dose of 7 g/kg of body weight after 30 days. The liver injury was measured through traditional liver enzymes, inflammatory cytokines, expression of oxidative stress markers, and histopathological examination. We found that the GOPs treatment could significantly improve serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, plasma lipopolysaccharide, and inflammatory cytokine levels, as well as the oxidative stress markers that were altered by alcohol. Moreover, GOPs treatment inhibited the protein expression of toll-like receptor 4, and repressed the inhibitor kappa Bα and nuclear factor-κB p65 in the liver. These findings suggested that GOPs have a significant protective effect on binge drinking-induced liver injury, and the mechanism possibly mediated by the partial inhibition of lipopolysaccharide—toll-like receptor 4-nuclear factor-κB p65 signaling in the liver.
Vectorcardiogram in athletes: The Sun Valley Ski Study

Global electrical heterogeneity (GEH) is associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD) in adults of 45 years and above. However, GEH has not been previously measured in young athletes. The goal of this study was to establish a reference for vectorcardiograpic (VCG) metrics in male and female athletes.
A Systematic Review of Social Presence: Definition, Antecedents, and Implications

Social presence, or the feeling of being there with a “real” person, is a crucial component of interactions that take place in virtual reality. This paper reviews the concept, antecedents, and implications of social presence, with a focus on the literature regarding the predictors of social presence. The article begins by exploring the concept of social presence, distinguishing it from two other dimensions of presence—telepresence and self-presence. After establishing the definition of social presence, the article offers a systematic review of 233 separate findings identified from 152 studies that investigate the factors (i.e., immersive qualities, contextual differences, and individual psychological traits) that predict social presence. Finally, the paper discusses the implications of heightened social presence and when it does and does not enhance one's experience in a virtual environment.
Interleukin-8 Activates Breast Cancer-Associated Adipocytes and Promotes Their Angiogenesis- and Tumorigenesis-Promoting Effects

Increasing evidence supports the critical role of active stromal adipocytes in breast cancer development and spread. However, the mediators and the mechanisms of action are still elusive. ABSTRACT Increasing evidence supports the critical role of active stromal adipocytes in breast cancer development and spread. However, the mediators and the mechanisms of action are still elusive. We show here that cancer-associated adipocytes (CAAs) isolated from 10 invasive breast carcinomas are proinflammatory and exhibit active phenotypes, including higher proliferative, invasive, and migratory capacities compared to their adjacent tumor-counterpart adipocytes (TCAs). Furthermore, all CAAs secreted higher level of interleukin-8 (IL-8), which is critical in mediating the paracrine procarcinogenic effects of these cells. Importantly, ectopic expression of IL-8 in TCA cells activated them and enhanced their procarcinogenic effects both in vitro, in a STAT3-dependent manner, and in vivo. In contrast, inhibition of the IL-8 signaling using specific short hairpin RNA, anti-IL-8 antibody, or reparixin suppressed the active features of CAAs, including their non-cell-autonomous tumor-promoting activities both on breast luminal cells and in orthotopic tumor xenografts in mice. IL-8 played also an important role in enhancing the proangiogenic effects of breast adipocytes. These results provide clear indication that IL-8 plays key roles in the activation of breast CAAs and acts as a major mediator for their paracrine protumorigenic effects. Thus, targeting CAAs by inhibiting the IL-8 pathway could have great therapeutic value.
Detection of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus in Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using Multiple Analytes and Their Role in Patient Survival

Purpose Accurate detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is essential to understanding the role of HPV in disease prognosis and management of patients. We used different analytes and methods to understand the true prevalence of HPV in a cohort of patients with OSCC with different molecular backgrounds, and we correlated HPV data with patient survival. Methods We integrated data from multiple analytes (HPV DNA, HPV RNA, and p16), assays (immunohistochemistry, polymerase chain reaction [PCR], quantitative PCR [qPCR], and digital PCR), and molecular changes (somatic mutations and DNA methylation) from 153 patients with OSCC to correlate p16 expression, HPV DNA, and HPV RNA with HPV incidence and patient survival. Results High prevalence (33% to 58%) of HPV16/18 DNA did not correlate with the presence of transcriptionally active viral genomes (15%) in tumors. Eighteen percent of the tumors were p16 positive and only 6% were both HPV DNA and HPV RNA positive. Most tumors with relatively high copy number HPV DNA and/or HPV RNA, but not with HPV DNA alone (irrespective of copy number), were wild-type for TP53 and CASP8 genes. In our study, p16 protein, HPV DNA, and HPV RNA, either alone or in combination, did not correlate with patient survival. Nine HPV-associated genes stratified the virus-positive from the virus-negative tumor group with high confidence (P < .008) when HPV DNA copy number and/or HPV RNA were considered to define HPV positivity, and not HPV DNA alone, irrespective of copy number (P < .2). Conclusion In OSCC, the presence of both HPV RNA and p16 is rare. HPV DNA alone is not an accurate measure of HPV positivity and therefore may not be informative. HPV DNA, HPV RNA, and p16 do not correlate with patients’ outcome.
Graphene-Modulated Removal Performance of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Pollutants in a Sequencing Batch Chlorella Reactor

In this work, the influence of graphene on nitrogen and phosphorus in a batch Chlorella reactor was studied. The impact of graphene on the removal performance of Chlorella was investigated in a home-built sewage treatment system with seven identical sequencing batch Chlorella reactors with graphene contents of 0 mg/L (T1), 0.05 mg/L (T2), 0.1 mg/L (T3), 0.2 mg/L (T4), 0.4 mg/L (T5), 0.8 mg/L (T6) and 10 mg/L (T7). The influence of graphene concentration and reaction time on the pollutant removal performance was studied. The malondialdehyde (MDA) and total superoxide dismutase (SOD) concentrations in each reactor were measured, and optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterizations were performed to determine the related mechanism. The results show that after 168 h, the total nitrogen (TN), ammonia nitrogen (AN) and total phosphorus (TP) removal rates of reactors T1–T7 become stable, and the TN, AN and TP removal rates were gradually reduced with increasing graphene concentration. At 96 h, the concentrations of both MDA and SOD in T1–T7 gradually increased as the graphene concentration increased. In optical microscopy and SEM measurements, it was found that graphene was adsorbed on the surface of Chlorella, and entered Chlorella cells, deforming and reducing Chlorella. Through the blood plate count method, we estimated an average Chlorella reduction of 16%. According to the water quality and microscopic experiments, it can be concluded that the addition of graphene causes oxidative damage to microalgae and destruction of the Chlorella cell wall and cell membrane, inhibiting the nitrogen and phosphorus removal in Chlorella reactors. This study provides theoretical and practical support for the safe use of graphene.
Perceived burden among caregivers of patients with frontotemporal degeneration in the United States

ABSTRACT Background: Frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) dementia often begins before age 60 and predominantly presents as four subtypes with prominent features of language, behavior, cognition, and motor symptoms. The early onset and unique symptoms place a distinct burden on caregivers of individuals with FTD versus other dementia types, such as Alzheimer’s disease. This is the first known study to examine the domains of the FTD caregiver burden and the caregiver and patient characteristics associated with these domains. Methods: In 2017, 674 FTD caregivers in the United States (US) completed a web-based survey of caregiver and patient demographics, disease severity/symptoms, caregiver burden, and financial costs of caregiving. The major factors of caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Inventory) were determined using a principal axis factor analysis with varimax rotation. Multiple linear regression analyses examined caregiver and patient characteristics associated with overall burden and three major factors of burden: role strain, personal strain, and performance strain. Results: Increased neuropsychiatric symptoms was associated with overall caregiver burden and greater role, personal, and performance strain. Younger caregivers experienced greater overall burden and performance strain, female caregivers experienced increased role strain, and male caregivers experienced greater performance strain. Financial costs of caregiving and experiencing a caregiving crisis in the past year were associated with higher overall burden and role strain. Conclusions: This study suggests that the severity and sources of burden differ for caregivers of FTD patients versus patients with other dementia types. Differing predictors for each burden domain suggest targeted interventions to address the unique FTD caregiving challenges.
Relationship between Telomere Maintenance and Liver Disease

Previous studies have established a correlation between increasing chronological age and risk of cirrhosis. This pattern raised interest in the role of telomeres and the telomerase complex in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. This review aims to summarize and analyze the current understanding of telomere regulation in hepatocytes and lymphocytes and how this ultimately relates to the development of liver fibrosis. Notably, in chronic viral hepatitis, telomere shortening in hepatocytes and lymphocytes occurs in such a way that may promote further viral replication while also leading to liver damage. However, while telomere shortening occurs in both hepatocytes and lymphocytes and ultimately results in cellular death, the mechanisms of telomere loss appear to be initiated by independent processes. The understanding of telomere maintenance on a hepatic and immune system level in both viral and non-viral etiologies of cirrhosis may open doors to novel therapeutic strategies.
Autocrine signaling by an Aplysia neurotrophin forms a presynaptic positive feedback loop

Significance Whereas short-term plasticity is often initiated on one side of the synapse, long-term plasticity involves coordinated changes on both sides, implying extracellular signaling. We have investigated the possible signaling role of an Aplysia neurotrophin (ApNT) and found that it acts as a presynaptic autocrine signal, which forms part of a positive feedback loop that drives consolidation of learning-related synaptic plasticity. Whereas short-term plasticity is often initiated on one side of the synapse, long-term plasticity involves coordinated changes on both sides, implying extracellular signaling. We have investigated the possible signaling role of an Aplysia neurotrophin (ApNT) in facilitation induced by serotonin (5HT) at sensory-to-motor neuron synapses in culture. ApNT is an ortholog of mammalian BDNF, which has been reported to act as either an anterograde, retrograde, or autocrine signal, so that its pre- and postsynaptic sources and targets remain unclear. We now report that ApNT acts as a presynaptic autocrine signal that forms part of a positive feedback loop with ApTrk and PKA. That loop stimulates spontaneous transmitter release, which recruits postsynaptic mechanisms, and presynaptic protein synthesis during the transition from short- to intermediate-term facilitation and may also initiate gene regulation to trigger the transition to long-term facilitation. These results suggest that a presynaptic ApNT feedback loop plays several key roles during consolidation of learning-related synaptic plasticity.
Impact of Religiosity on preserved privacy on social media: Proposed Model of Self-disclosure

User privacy and self-disclosure perspectives have been studied in great detail within e-commerce and social networking contexts. While many earlier studies consider online user base religion-agnostic, this study bridges the gap in the literature by addressing the user behaviour factors associated with religious beliefs. The specifics of user behaviour influenced by religion, particularly fundamental Islam, are yet to be fully understood by current research. This paper investigates the effect of religion on the online privacy and self-disclosure on social platforms. We propose a model linking religious beliefs, privacy behaviour and self-disclosure and empirically test it. By using PLS-SEM, intrinsic religiosity (ROS), communication privacy management (CPM) is shown to influence self-disclosure. The results show that religion has an indirect effect on the self-disclosure through privacy concerns. The implications of this study are significant for policy and practice for social media companies and users.
AIS Electronic

Information systems (IS) enable virtual teams to deliver superior performance to organizations. Placing teams to compete with one another could further enhance their effectiveness. However, the IS literature on virtual teams has only focused on intra-team collaboration issues, leaving inter-team competition issues largely unaddressed. Hence, we examine how the six facets of conscientiousness are related to competitive virtual team (CVT) members’ engagement in the team’s functions and their intention to continuously use the CVT platform (ICUP). We use structural equation modelling to analyze the responses from 724 members in CVTs. We find that all the six conscientiousness facets are linked to the four CVT functions and to ICUP. This study is the first examining the impacts of conscientiousness facets on CVT functions and ICUP. Our findings provide insights on how to design platforms to continuously attract CVT members, enabling IS to lift organizational performance.
Understanding the Determinants of Review Helpfulness in Online Review Sites: An Empirical Study

Online review websites play an important role in customer’s purchase decision-making process for the useful product knowledge contained in the customer-generated reviews. However, the increasing information volume also makes it difficult for customers to identify and consider those attributes relevant to their decision. Based on Information Processing Theory (IPT) and Multiple Pathway Anchoring and Adjustment Model (MPAAM), we proposed three characteristics of online reviews affecting review helpfulness (e.g., attractiveness, representational sufficiency and functional sufficiency) and examined the moderating influences of information volume on these relationships. A large-scale review dataset from Yelp.com are collected and text analysis technique are applied to validate our research model. Our work, which illustrates the disturbance effect of information volume, has implications for both online word-of-mouth and information processing research.
Natural compounds with xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity: A review

Hyperuricemia (HUA), a disease due to an elevation of body uric acid level and responsible for various diseases such as gout, cardiovascular disorders, and renal failure, is a major ground debate for the medical science these days. Considering the risk factors linked with allopathic drugs for the treatment of this disease, the debate has now become a special issue. Previously, we critically discussed the role of dietary polyphenols in the treatment of HUA. Besides dietary food plants, many researchers figure out the tremendous effects of medicinal plants‐derived phytochemicals against HUA. Keeping in mind all these aspects, we reviewed all possible managerial studies related to HUA through medicinal plants (isolated compounds). In the current review article, we comprehensively discussed various bioactive compounds, chemical structures, and structure–activity relationship with responsible key enzyme xanthine oxidase.
Biopsy‐free screening for glioma

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a promising diagnostic marker for many cancers and can be noninvasively assayed from blood. For diagnosing glioma, this approach has unfortunately proven to be of limited use since glioma contribute minimal ctDNA to the blood circulation. A more promising avenue may therefore be to hunt for ctDNA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The study by Mouliere et al in this issue of EMBO Molecular Medicine demonstrates that shallow whole‐genome sequencing of CSF‐cfDNA can be used to detect copy number alterations in glioma‐derived ctDNA, providing a low cost strategy to screen for glioma.
Short-Term Hemodynamic Effects of Modern Wheat Products Substitution in Diet with Ancient Wheat Products: A Cross-Over, Randomized Clinical Trial

Recent evidence suggests that bioactive compounds isolated from cereals and legumes could exert some metabolic and vascular effects in humans. Due to the recent identification of a non-specific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP2) in wheat with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, we aimed to comparatively test the hemodynamic and metabolic effects of ancient wheat foodstuffs (made of organic KAMUT® khorasan wheat) or modern wheat ones, made of a mixture of organic modern commercial durum (T. durum) varieties and soft wheat (T. aestivum), with different nsLTP2 content. Thus, we carried out a randomized, cross-over clinical trial on 63 non-diabetic healthy volunteers (aged 40–70 years) with systolic blood pressure (SBP) 130–139 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 85–90 mmHg (pre-hypertensive/borderline high pressure subjects). Each treatment period lasted four weeks. After ancient wheat foodstuffs intake, subjects experienced a significant improvement in triglycerides (−9.8% vs. baseline and −14.5% versus modern wheat), fasting plasma glucose (−4.3% versus baseline and −31.6% versus modern wheat), diurnal SBP (−3.1% vs. baseline and –30.2% vs. modern wheat) and nocturnal SBP (−3.2% vs. baseline and −36.8% vs. modern wheat), and pulse volume change (+4.2% vs. baseline and +2.3% vs. modern wheat) (p < 0.05 vs. baseline and versus modern wheat foodstuffs intake). Therefore, our findings show that substituting modern wheat products in diet with ancient wheat ones, might exert a mild improvement in 24-h SBP and endothelial reactivity in pre-hypertensive healthy subjects.
Solar PV Power Forecasting Using Extreme Learning Machine and Information Fusion

We provide a learning algorithm combining distributed Ex- treme Learning Machine and an information fusion rule based on the ag- gregation of experts advice, to build day ahead probabilistic solar PV power production forecasts. These forecasts use, apart from the current day solar PV power production, local meteorological inputs, the most valu- able of which is shown to be precipitation. Experiments are then run in one French region, Provence-Alpes-C^ d'Azur, to evaluate the algorithm performance.
Aortic Valve Replacement for Aortic Stenosis in Elderly Patients (75 Years or Older)

Background This study evaluated the early and long-term outcomes of surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) in elderly patients in the era of transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Methods Between 2001 and 2018, 94 patients aged ≥75 years underwent isolated AVR with stented bioprosthetic valves for aortic valve stenosis (AS). The main etiologies of AS were degenerative (n=63) and bicuspid (n=21). The median follow-up duration was 40.7 months (range, 0.6–174 months). Results Operative mortality occurred in 2 patients (2.1%) and paravalvular leak occurred in 1 patient. No patients required permanent pacemaker insertion after surgery. Late death occurred in 11 patients. The overall survival rates at 5 and 10 years were 87.2% and 65.1%, respectively. The rates of freedom from valve-related events at 5 and 10 years were 94.5% and 88.6%, respectively. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score (p=0.013) and chronic kidney disease (p=0.030) were significant factors affecting long-term survival. The minimal p-value approach demonstrated that an STS score of 3.5% was the most suitable cut-off value for predicting long-term survival. Conclusion Surgical AVR for elderly AS patients may be feasible in terms of early mortality and postoperative complications, particularly paravalvular leak and permanent pacemaker insertion. The STS score and chronic kidney disease were associated with long-term outcomes after AVR in the elderly.
Global Analysis of WOX Transcription Factor Gene Family in Brassica napus Reveals Their Stress- and Hormone-Responsive Patterns

The plant-specific WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) transcription factor gene family is important for plant growth and development but little studied in oil crops. We identified and characterized 58 putative WOX genes in Brassica napus (BnWOXs), which were divided into three major clades and nine subclades based on the gene structure and conserved motifs. Collinearity analysis revealed that most BnWOXs were the products of allopolyploidization and segmental duplication events. Gene structure analysis indicated that introns/exons and protein motifs were conserved in each subclade and RNA sequencing revealed that BnWOXs had narrow expression profiles in major tissues and/or organs across different developmental stages. The expression pattern of each clade was highly conserved and similar to that of the sister and orthologous pairs from Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that members of the WOX4 subclade were induced in seedling roots by abiotic and hormone stresses, indicating their contribution to root development and abiotic stress responses. 463 proteins were predicted to interact with BnWOXs, including peptides regulating stem cell homeostasis in meristems. This study provides insights into the evolution and expression of the WOX gene family in B. napus and will be useful in future gene function research.