Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative studies of the biological activities of selected herbal extracts and phenolic compounds isolated from Rosa gallica

Abstract This study aimed to compare the biological activities of 35 herbal hydroethanolic extracts and select high potential extract, which showed antioxidative activity and inhibitory activities of α-glucosidase, lipase, and hyaluronidase, and to investigate the isolation, structural elucidation, and biological activities of five phenolic compounds from the selected extracts of Rosa gallica. On the basis of one-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance together with the comparison with the literature values, the phenolic compounds were identified as methyl gallate (1), kaempferol-3-O-arabinofuranoside (2), multinoside A acetate (3), kaempferol (4), and quercetin (5), respectively. The results suggest that the extracts from R. gallica show the strongest biological activities in 35 herbal extracts and that 1, 4, and 5 among the five isolated compounds from rose extracts are effective in promoting antioxidative and enzymatic inhibitory activities.
Maximal Strength, Muscle Activation, and Bar Velocity Comparisons Between Squatting With a Traditional or Safety Squat Bar.

Vantrease, WC, Townsend, JR, Sapp, PA, Henry, RN, and Johnson, KD. Maximal strength, muscle activation, and bar velocity comparisons between squatting with a traditional or safety squat bar. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-The purpose of this study was to compare strength, muscle activation, and bar velocity between the traditional (TRAD) and safety squat bar (SSB) back squat. Thirty-two men (21.94 ± 3.1 years, 1.78 ± 0.8 m, 81.7 ± 10.1 kg) volunteered to complete this randomized, crossover-design study. Subjects completed 2 separate 1 repetition maximum (1RM) sessions using either the TRAD or SSB. Subsequently, subjects completed 1 session of 3 repetitions at 65 and 85% of their 1RM for each squat condition (SSB & TRAD). Peak muscle activation of 7 muscles from the lower body and trunk was recorded through surface electromyography (EMG), and mean velocity (MV) was recorded by a linear transducer. Electromyography and MV were analyzed by a 2 × 2 (bar × load) repeated-measures analysis of variance. A Pearson correlation was used to determine the relationship of 1RM load between bars. Squat 1RM was significantly higher (p < 0.001; 11.6%) for TRAD (144.7 kg) compared with SSB (128.8 kg), and a strong correlation (r = 0.94) was observed between 1RM values of each bar. A significant main effect was seen in EMG (p < 0.001) and MV for load (p < 0.001). No significant bar × load interaction was observed between conditions for any EMG or bar velocity measure (p > 0.05). The SSB produces similar muscle activation and bar velocities compared with the TRAD at relative intensities. However, absolute loads should be adjusted when changing squat bars during a training cycle.
Brain‐computer interfaces for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

A brain‐computer interface (BCI) is a device that detects signals from the brain and transforms them into useful commands. Researchers have developed BCIs that utilize different kinds of brain signals. These different BCI systems have differing characteristics, such as the amount of training required and the degree to which they are or are not invasive. Much of the research on BCIs to date has involved healthy individuals and evaluation of classification algorithms. Some BCIs have been shown to have potential benefit for users with minimal muscular function as a result of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. However, there are still several challenges that need to be successfully addressed before BCIs can be clinically useful.
Gut Microbiome of a Porcine Model of Metabolic Syndrome and HF-pEF.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a combination of cardiovascular risk factors including obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and diastolic heart failure. This syndrome has been identified as one of the greatest global health challenges of the 21st century. Herein, we examine in a porcine model of diet-induced MetS whether cardiovascular, metabolic, gut microbiota and functional metataxonomic changes mimic those observed in human studies. Landrace pigs with mineralocorticoid-induced hypertension fed a high-fat, salt and sugar diet (HFD) over 12 weeks were assessed for hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, immunohistologic, echocardiographic and hemodynamic parameters, as well as assessment of microbiome phenotype and functionality through 16S rRNA gene sequencing, phylogenetic and meta-taxonomic analysis. All MetS animals when compared to controls developed obesity, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, hypertension, fatty liver, structural cardiovascular changes including left ventricular hypertrophy and left atrial enlargement, and increased circulating saturated fatty acid levels, in keeping with the human phenotype. A reduction in alpha diversity and specific microbiota changes at phylum, family and genus levels also occurred in this model. Moreover, increases in pro-inflammatory bacteria and secondary bile acid producing bacteria were identified, combined with a decrease in enteroprotective bacteria and a reduction of short chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria.Together these data suggest that diet and mineralocorticoid-mediated development of biochemical and cardiovascular stigmata of metabolic syndrome in pigs leads to temporal gut microbiome changes that mimic key gut microbial population signatures in human cardiometabolic disease.
Guideline-directed medical therapy in elderly patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: a cohort study

Objectives and design Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) with renin–angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors and beta-blockers has improved survival in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). As clinical trials usually do not include very old patients, it is unknown whether the results from clinical trials are applicable to elderly patients with HF. This study was performed to investigate the clinical characteristics and treatment strategies for elderly patients with HFrEF in a large prospective cohort. Setting The Korean Acute Heart Failure (KorAHF) registry consecutively enrolled 5625 patients hospitalised for acute HF from 10 tertiary university hospitals in Korea. Participants In this study, 2045 patients with HFrEF who were aged 65 years or older were included from the KorAHF registry. Primary outcome measurement All-cause mortality data were obtained from medical records, national insurance data or national death records. Results Both beta-blockers and RAS inhibitors were used in 892 (43.8%) patients (GDMT group), beta-blockers only in 228 (11.1%) patients, RAS inhibitors only in 642 (31.5%) patients and neither beta-blockers nor RAS inhibitors in 283 (13.6%) patients (no GDMT group). With increasing age, the GDMT rate decreased, which was mainly attributed to the decreased prescription of beta-blockers. In multivariate analysis, GDMT was associated with a 53% reduced risk of all-cause mortality (HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.57) compared with no GDMT. Use of beta-blockers only (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.73) and RAS inhibitors only (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.71) was also associated with reduced risk. In a subgroup of very elderly patients (aged ≥80 years), the GDMT group had the lowest mortality. Conclusions GDMT was associated with reduced 3-year all-cause mortality in elderly and very elderly HFrEF patients. Trial registration number NCT01389843.
Psychosexual Functioning Outcome Testing after Hypospadias Repair

Self-confidence plays an important role in both genders’ sexual functioning. Lack of genital self-esteem may have negative effects on psychosexual development, especially in males, where deviations from a standardized normal penile appearance can lead to inhibitions in entering into sexual relationships. The aim of our study was to evaluate the informativeness of studied domains of the Global Sexual Functioning (GSF) questionnaire and sexual functioning of patients surgically treated in childhood for different types of hypospadias. We evaluated 63 males with hypospadias and 60 healthy age- and gender-matched controls. The GSF questionnaire was used to estimate psychosexual function as a long-term follow-up after the surgical correction of hypospadias in the patient and control groups. Sexual activity (p = 0.017), arousal (p = 0.033) and orgasmic abilities (p = 0.002) values were significantly increased in patients. Strong correlation was noticed between sexual activity and sexual desire (R = 0.872); arousal and sexual desire (R = 0.753), as well as orgasmic and erectile abilities (R = 0.769). Different domains of psychosexual functioning in the patient group correlated with each other to various degrees, resulting in a heterogeneous expression of psychosexual dysfunctions, implicating the necessity of a personalized treatment approach.
Does Pregnancy Affect Refractive and Corneal Stability or Corneal Epithelial Remodeling After Myopic LASIK?

PURPOSE To investigate possible refractive changes in pregnant women who have previously undergone myopic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). METHODS This prospective study included 64 pregnant women (128 eyes) who had previously undergone bilateral myopic LASIK. Uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), spherical equivalent, corneal keratometry, topography and tomography, and epithelial mapping were evaluated before LASIK, 12 months after LASIK, during the third trimester of pregnancy, and 1 year postpartum. RESULTS The average age at the time of recruitment was 32.5 ± 5 years (range: 24.5 to 39.5 years). The evaluation during pregnancy was at an average 55 months (range: 12 to 108 months) from the initial LASIK procedure. The preoperative mean refractive error was -6.72 ± 2.96 diopters (D) (range: -1.00 to -11.00 D). Comparing 12-month refractive data after the original LASIK procedure to the those within the third trimester of the subsequent pregnancy, the average UDVA was 20/18, the residual refractive error was -0.63 ± 1.00 to -0.51 ± 0.82 D, the steepest keratometry value was 40.85 ± 1.89 to 40.88 ± 2.84 D, and the central epithelial thickness was 56.4 ± 3.89 to 57.38 ± 5.04 µm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS In this study, pregnancy did not affect the refractive stability of LASIK. Pregnancy-related changes in refractive error, corneal stability, and total corneal and epithelial thickness in women after LASIK were not found to be statistically significant. [J Refract Surg. 2022;36(2):118-122. ].
Sleep Disturbances Rate among Medical and Allied Health Professions Students in Iran: Implications from a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Literature

Medicine and healthcare professions are prestigious and valued careers and, at the same time, demanding, challenging, and arduous jobs. Medical and allied health professions students, experiencing a stressful academic and clinical workload, may suffer from sleep disturbances. In Iran, several studies have been conducted to explore the prevalence rate among medical and healthcare professions students. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to quantitatively and rigorously summarize the existing scholarly literature, providing the decision- and policy-makers and educators with an updated, evidence-based synthesis. Only studies utilizing a reliable psychometric instrument, such as the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), were included, in order to have comparable measurements and estimates. Seventeen investigations were retained in the present systematic review and meta-analysis, totaling a sample of 3586 students. Studies were conducted between 2008 and 2018 and reported an overall rate of sleep disturbances of 58% (95% confidence interval or CI 45–70). No evidence of publication bias could be found, but formal analyses on determinants of sleep disturbances could not be run due to the dearth of information that could be extracted from studies. Poor sleep is highly prevalent among Iranian medical and healthcare professions students. Based on the limitations of the present study, high-quality investigations are urgently needed to better capture the determinants of poor sleep quality among medical and healthcare professions students, given the importance and the implications of such a topic.
Integrated characterisation of cancer genes identifies key molecular biomarkers in stomach adenocarcinoma

Aims Gastric cancer is one of the leading causes for cancer mortality. Recent studies have defined the landscape of genomic alterations of gastric cancer and their association with clinical outcomes. However, the pathogenesis of gastric cancer has not been completely characterised. Methods Driver genes were detected by five computational tools, MutSigCV, OncodriveCLUST, OncodriveFM, dendrix and edriver, using mutation data of stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) from the cancer genome altas database, followed by an integrative investigation. Results TTN, TP53, LRP1B, CSMD3, OBSCN, ARID1A, FAT4, FLG, PCLO and CSMD1 were the 10 most frequently mutated genes. PIK3CD, NLRC3, FMNL1, TRAF3IP3 and CR1 were the top five hub genes of the blue coexpression module positively correlated with pathological tumour stage and lymph node stage (p values <0.05 for all cases). Hierarchical clustering analysis of copy number variations of driver genes revealed three subgroups of STAD patients, and cluster 2 tumours were significantly associated with lower lymph node stage, less number of positive lymph nodes and higher microsatellite instability and better overall survival than cluster 1 and cluster 3 tumours (p values <0.05 for all cases, Wilcoxon rank-sum test or log rank test). High expression in one or more of DNER, LHCGR, NLRP14, OR4N2, PSG6, TTC29 and ZNF568 genes was associated with increased mortality (p values <0.05 for all cases, log rank test). Conclusions The driver genes shed insights into the tumourigenesis of gastric cancer and the genes DNER, LHCGR, NLRP14, OR4N2, PSG6, TTC29 and ZNF568 pave the way for developing prognostic biomarkers for the disease.
Circulating antibody-secreting cell response during Mycoplasma pneumoniae childhood pneumonia.

BACKGROUND We recently demonstrated that the measurement of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp)-specific IgM antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) improved diagnosis of Mp infection. Here, we aimed to describe Mp ASC kinetics and duration in comparison to conventional measures such as pharyngeal Mp DNA and serum antibodies. METHODS Prospective longitudinal study of 63 community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients and 21 healthy controls (HCs), 3-18 years of age, from 2016-2017. Mp ASCs measured by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) were assessed alongside Mp DNA and antibodies during 6-month follow-up. RESULTS Mp ASCs of the isotype IgM were found in 29 (46%), IgG in 27 (43%), and IgA in 27 (43%) CAP patients. Mp ASCs were detected from 2 days to maximum 6 weeks after symptom onset, while Mp DNA and antibodies persisted until 4 months (p=0.03) and 6 months (p<0.01). Mp ASCs were undetectable in HCs, in contrast to detection of Mp DNA in 10 (48%) or antibodies in 6 (29%) controls for prolonged time. The Mp ASC response correlated with clinical disease, but did not differ between patients treated with or without antibiotics against Mp. CONCLUSIONS Mp-specific ASCs are short-lived and associated with clinical disease, making it an optimal resource for determining Mp pneumonia etiology.
Persistent immune activation in HIV-1 infected ex vivo model tissues subjected to antiretroviral therapy: Soluble and extracellular vesicle-associated cytokines.

BACKGROUND Residual immune activation after successful antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV-1 infected patients is associated with the increased risk of complications. Cytokines, both soluble and extracellular vesicle (EV)-associated, may play an important role in this immune activation. SETTING Ex vivo tissues were infected with X4LAI04 or R5SF162 HIV-1. Virus replicated for 16 days, or tissues were treated with the anti-retroviral drug ritonavir. METHODS Viral replication and production of 33 cytokines in soluble and EV-associated forms were measured with multiplexed bead-based assays. RESULTS Both variants of HIV-1 efficiently replicated in tissues and triggered upregulation of soluble cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-7, IL-18, IFN-γ, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, and RANTES. A similar pattern was observed in EV-associated cytokine release by HIV-infected tissues. Additionally, TNF-α and RANTES demonstrated a significant shift to more soluble form compared to EV-associated. Ritonavir treatment efficiently suppressed viral replication; however, both soluble and EV-associated cytokines remained largely upregulated after 13 days of treatment. EV-associated cytokines were more likely to remain elevated after ART. Treatment of uninfected tissues with ritonavir itself did not affect cytokine release. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that HIV-1 infection of ex vivo lymphoid tissues resulted in their immune activation as evaluated by upregulation of various cytokines, both soluble and EV-associated. This upregulation persisted despite inhibition of viral replication by ART. Thus, similar to in vivo, HIV-1 infected human tissues ex vivo continue to be immune activated after viral suppression, providing a new laboratory model to study this phenomenon.
An efficient RNA-seq-based segregation analysis identifies the sex chromosomes of Cannabis sativa

Cannabis sativa–derived tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) production is increasing very fast worldwide. C. sativa is a dioecious plant with XY Chromosomes, and only females (XX) are useful for THC production. Identifying the sex chromosome sequence would improve early sexing and better management of this crop; however, the C. sativa genome projects have failed to do so. Moreover, as dioecy in the Cannabaceae family is ancestral, C. sativa sex chromosomes are potentially old and thus very interesting to study, as little is known about old plant sex chromosomes. Here, we RNA-sequenced a C. sativa family (two parents and 10 male and female offspring, 576 million reads) and performed a segregation analysis for all C. sativa genes using the probabilistic method SEX-DETector. We identified >500 sex-linked genes. Mapping of these sex-linked genes to a C. sativa genome assembly identified the largest chromosome pair being the sex chromosomes. We found that the X-specific region (not recombining between X and Y) is large compared to other plant systems. Further analysis of the sex-linked genes revealed that C. sativa has a strongly degenerated Y Chromosome and may represent the oldest plant sex chromosome system documented so far. Our study revealed that old plant sex chromosomes can have large, highly divergent nonrecombining regions, yet still be roughly homomorphic.
Biostimulant Potential of Scenedesmus obliquus Grown in Brewery Wastewater

Microalgae are microorganisms with the capacity to contribute to the sustainable and healthy food production, in addition to wastewater treatment. The subject of this work was to determine the potential of Scenedesmus obliquus microalga grown in brewery wastewater to act as a plant biostimulant. The germination index of watercress seeds, as well as the auxin-like activity in mung bean and cucumber, and in the cytokinin-like activity in cucumber bioassays were used to evaluate the biostimulant potential. Several biomass processes were studied, such as centrifugation, ultrasonication and enzymatic hydrolysis, as well as the final concentration of microalgal extracts to determine their influence in the biostimulant activity of the Scenedesmus biomass. The results showed an increase of 40% on the germination index when using the biomass at 0.1 g/L, without any pre-treatment. For auxin-like activity, the best results (up to 60% with respect to control) were obtained at 0.5 g/L of biomass extract, after a combination of cell disruption, enzymatic hydrolysis and centrifugation. For cytokinin-like activity, the best results (up to 187.5% with respect to control) were achieved without cell disruption, after enzymatic hydrolysis and centrifugation at a biomass extract concentration of 2 g/L.
Coffee Consumption and Risk of Stroke: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Observational epidemiological studies have reported a relationship between coffee intake and risk of stroke. However, evidence for this association is inconsistent, and it remains uncertain whether the association is causal or due to confounding or reverse causality. To clarify this relationship, we adopted a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to evaluate the effects of coffee consumption on the risk of stroke and its subtypes.
Nutritional Profiling and the Value of Processing By-Products from Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata)

Fish processing industries generate a large volume of discards. In order to fulfil with the principles of a sustainable circular economy, it is necessary to maintain aquaculture by-products in the food chain through the production of high-value biomolecules that can be used as novel ingredients. In this study, we try to give value to the gilthead sea bream by-products, evaluating the composition and the nutritional value of the muscle and six discards commonly obtained from the fish processing industry (fishbone, gills, guts, heads, liver, and skin), which represent ≈ 61% of the whole fish. Significant differences were detected among muscle and by-products for fatty acid and amino acid profile, as well as mineral content. The discards studied were rich in protein (10%–25%), showing skin and fishbone to have the highest contents. The amino acid profile reflected the high quality of its protein, with 41%–49% being essential amino acids—lysine, leucine, and arginine were the most abundant amino acids. Guts, liver, and skin were the fattiest by-products (25%–35%). High contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (31%–34%), n-3 fatty acids (12%–14%), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (6%–8%) characterized these discards. The head displayed by far the highest ash content (9.14%), which was reflected in the mineral content, especially in calcium and phosphorous. These results revealed that gilthead sea bream by-products can be used as source of value-added products such as protein, oils, and mineral supplements.
Effects of Germline CYP2W1*6 and CYP2B6*6 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms on Mitotane Treatment in Adrenocortical Carcinoma: A Multicenter ENSAT Study

Mitotane is the only approved drug for advanced adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) and no biomarkers are available to predict attainment of therapeutic plasma concentrations and clinical response. Aim of the study was to evaluate the suitability of cytochrome P450(CYP)2W1 and CYP2B6 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as biomarkers. A multicenter cohort study including 182 ACC patients (F/M = 121/61) treated with mitotane monotherapy after radical resection (group A, n = 103) or in not completely resectable, recurrent or advanced disease (group B, n = 79) was performed. CYP2W1*2, CYP2W1*6, CYP2B6*6 and CYP2B6 rs4803419 were genotyped in germline DNA. Mitotane blood levels were measured regularly. Response to therapy was evaluated as time to progression (TTP) and disease control rate (DCR). Among investigated SNPs, CYP2W1*6 and CYP2B6*6 correlated with mitotane treatment only in group B. Patients with CYP2W1*6 (n = 21) achieved less frequently therapeutic mitotane levels (>14 mg/L) than those with wild type (WT) allele (76.2% vs 51.7%, p = 0.051) and experienced shorter TTP (HR = 2.10, p = 0.019) and lower DCR (chi-square = 6.948, p = 0.008). By contrast, 55% of patients with CYP2B6*6 vs. 28.2% WT (p = 0.016) achieved therapeutic range. Combined, a higher rate of patients with CYP2W1*6WT+CYP2B6*6 (60.6%) achieved mitotane therapeutic range (p = 0.034). In not completely resectable, recurrent or advanced ACC, CYP2W1*6 SNP was associated with a reduced probability to reach mitotane therapeutic range and lower response rates, whereas CYP2B6*6 correlated with higher mitotane levels. The association of these SNPs may predict individual response to mitotane.