Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in Amino Acid Profiles and Bioactive Compounds of Thai Silk Cocoons as Affected by Water Extraction

Silk proteins have many advantageous components including proteins and pigments. The proteins—sericin and fibroin—have been widely studied for medical applications due to their good physiochemical properties and biological activities. Various strains of cocoon display different compositions such as amino-acid profiles and levels of antioxidant activity. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to find a suitable silk protein extraction method to obtain products with chemical and biological properties suitable as functional foods in two strains of Bombyx mori silk cocoon (Nangsew strains; yellow cocoon) and Samia ricini silk cocoon (Eri strains; white cocoon) extracted by water at 100 °C for 2, 4, 6 and 8 h. The results showed that Nangsew strains extracted for 6 h contained the highest amounts of protein, amino acids, total phenolics (TPC) and total flavonoids (TFC), plus DPPH radical-scavenging activity, ABTS radical scavenging capacity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), anti-glycation, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition. The longer extraction time produced higher concentrations of amino acids, contributing to sweet and umami tastes in both silk strains. It seemed that the bitterness decreased as the extraction time increased, resulting in improvements in the sweetness and umami of silk-protein extracts.
Physical Activity and the Risk of COVID-19 Infection and Mortality: A Nationwide Population-Based Case-Control Study

Regular physical activity (PA) is known to reduce the risk of serious community-acquired infections. We examined the association of PA with the morbidity and mortality resulting from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection in the South Korean population. Patients who tested positive for severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 and who underwent public health screening between 2014 and 2017 (n = 6288) were included. Age- and sex-matched controls (n = 125,772) were randomly selected from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Leisure-time PA was assessed using a self-reported questionnaire. The mean PA levels were lower in the patient than in the control group (558.2 ± 516.3 vs. 580.2 ± 525.7 metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-min/week, p = 0.001). Patients with moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) were associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 morbidity (odds ratio (OR), 0.90; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.86–0.95). In addition, a standard deviation (SD) increment in MET/week (525.3 MET-min/week) was associated with a 4% decrease in the risk of COVID-19 morbidity (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93–0.99). MVPA and an SD increment in MET/week were associated with lower mortality (MVPA: OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.26–0.87; per SD increment: OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.48–0.88). Higher levels of regular PA were associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 infection and mortality, highlighting the importance of maintaining appropriate levels of PA along with social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Case of Double Standard: Sex Differences in Multiple Sclerosis Risk Factors

Multiple sclerosis is a complex, multifactorial, dysimmune disease prevalent in women. Its etiopathogenesis is extremely intricate, since each risk factor behaves as a variable that is interconnected with others. In order to understand these interactions, sex must be considered as a determining element, either in a protective or pathological sense, and not as one of many variables. In particular, sex seems to highly influence immune response at chromosomal, epigenetic, and hormonal levels. Environmental and genetic risk factors cannot be considered without sex, since sex-based immunological differences deeply affect disease onset, course, and prognosis. Understanding the mechanisms underlying sex-based differences is necessary in order to develop a more effective and personalized therapeutic approach.
Diet-Related Alterations of Gut Bile Salt Hydrolases Determined Using a Metagenomic Analysis of the Human Microbiome

The metabolism of bile acid by the gut microbiota is associated with host health. Bile salt hydrolases (BSHs) play a crucial role in controlling microbial bile acid metabolism. Herein, we conducted a comparative study to investigate the alterations in the abundance of BSHs using data from three human studies involving dietary interventions, which included a ketogenetic diet (KD) versus baseline diet (BD), overfeeding diet (OFD) versus underfeeding diet, and low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) versus BD. The KD increased BSH abundance compared to the BD, while the OFD and LCD did not change the total abundance of BSHs in the human gut. BSHs can be classified into seven clusters; Clusters 1 to 4 are relatively abundant in the gut. In the KD cohort, the levels of BSHs from Clusters 1, 3, and 4 increased significantly, whereas there was no notable change in the levels of BSHs from the clusters in the OFD and LCD cohorts. Taxonomic studies showed that members of the phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria predominantly produced BSHs. The KD altered the community structure of BSH-active bacteria, causing an increase in the abundance of Bacteroidetes and decrease in Actinobacteria. In contrast, the abundance of BSH-active Bacteroidetes decreased in the OFD cohort, and no significant change was observed in the LCD cohort. These results highlight that dietary patterns are associated with the abundance of BSHs and community structure of BSH-active bacteria and demonstrate the possibility of manipulating the composition of BSHs in the gut through dietary interventions to impact human health.
COVID-19 Pandemic Is Associated with an Adverse Impact on Burnout and Mood Disorder in Healthcare Professionals

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic results in a profound physical and mental burden on healthcare professionals. This study aims to evaluate burnout status and mood disorder of healthcare workers during this period. An online questionnaire was voluntarily answered by eligible adult employees in a COVID-19 specialized medical center. The major analysis included the burnout status and mood disorder. Factors related to more severe mood disorder were also identified. A total of 2029 participants completed the questionnaire. There were 901 (44.4%) and 923 (45.5%) participants with moderate to severe personal and work-related burnout status, respectively. Nurses working in the emergency room (ER), intensive care unit (ICU)/isolation wards, and general wards, as well as those with patient contact, had significantly higher scores for personal burnout, work-related burnout, and mood disorder. This investigation identified 271 participants (13.35%) with moderate to severe mood disorder linked to higher personal/work-related burnout scores and a more advanced burnout status. Univariate analysis revealed that nurses working in the ER and ICU/isolation wards were associated with moderate to severe mood disorder risk factors. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that working in the ER (OR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.14–6.90) was the only independent risk factor. More rest, perquisites, and an adequate supply of personal protection equipment were the most desired assistance from the hospital. Compared with the non-pandemic period (2019), employees working during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) have higher burnout scores and percentages of severe burnout. In conclusion, this study suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on healthcare professionals. Adequate measures should be adopted as early as possible to support the healthcare system.
Rule-Based Detection of False Data Injections Attacks against Optimal Power Flow in Power Systems

Cyber-security of modern power systems has captured a significant interest. The vulnerabilities in the cyber infrastructure of the power systems provide an avenue for adversaries to launch cyber attacks. An example of such cyber attacks is False Data Injection Attacks (FDIA). The main contribution of this paper is to analyze the impact of FDIA on the cost of power generation and the physical component of the power systems. Furthermore, We introduce a new FDIA strategy that intends to maximize the cost of power generation. The viability of the attack is shown using simulations on the standard IEEE bus systems using the MATPOWER MATLAB package. We used the genetic algorithm (GA), simulated annealing (SA) algorithm, tabu search (TS), and particle swarm optimization (PSO) to find the suitable attack targets and execute FDIA in the power systems. The proposed FDIA increases the generation cost by up to 15.6%, 45.1%, 60.12%, and 74.02% on the 6-bus, 9-bus, 30-bus, and 118-bus systems, respectively. Finally, a rule-based FDIA detection and prevention mechanism is proposed to mitigate such attacks on power systems.
Home-Advantage during COVID-19: An Analysis in Portuguese Football League

Covid-19 pandemic forced, at the final rounds of 2019–2020 season, in many different sport leagues worldwide, teams to play without an audience. Therefore, the present paper aims to compare the home advantage score in the last ten rounds in 2019–2020 season with the first 24 rounds in same season using Pollard’s (1986) and Matos et al.’s (2020) methods. In addition, comparisons across different seasons (2016–2017; 2017–2018; 2018–2019 and 2019–2020) using the same methods were also analyzed. Results showed no differences (p > 0.05) between first 24 rounds and the last 10 in 2019–2020 season as well as in the 3 previous seasons. With Pollard’s method, no differences (p > 0.05) were also found among those four seasons on global (all 34 rounds) home advantage. However, a significance difference between 2017–2018 and 2019–2020 (p < 0.05) was founded using Matos et al.’s (2020) method, which is an indicator of the importance of using complementary methods when analyzing the same realities. Overall, despite what might be expectable from recent findings, the lack of an audience in the last 10 rounds of Portuguese Football League 2019–2020 season, due to COVID-19 pandemic, did not affect home advantage. Therefore, future studies could try to analyze other different variables in Portuguese Football League, such as referees’ behaviors, rules changing (e.g., the possibility of making five substitutions, instead of three), crowd dimension and density as well as include variables about odds as forecasts in football being played without crowds.
Examining the Role of Acculturation in E-Cigarette Use among U.S. Immigrant Adults

Evidence suggests that as immigrants’ length of residence in the host country increases, they may integrate their behavior and norms to align with the new community’s cultural norms. The current study examined e-cigarette use among immigrants in the U.S., and whether the length of residence in the U.S. is associated with e-cigarette use among immigrants compared to the native-born population. Data were drawn from the 2014/15 and 2018/19 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare differences in e-cigarette use between native-born populations and immigrants, when immigrants’ length of residence in the U.S. was considered. Among immigrants, the prevalence of ever and current e-cigarette use increased significantly from 2.5% and 0.5% in 2014/2015 to 3.2% and 0.8% in 2018/2019, respectively. Multivariable analysis showed that immigrants had significantly lower odds of ever e-cigarette use compared to the mainland-born citizen (0–5 years in the U.S., adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) 0.57, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.46–0.69; 6–10 years, aOR 0.51, 95% CI 0.41–0.63; 11–20 years, aOR 0.45, 95% CI 0.39–0.53; 20+years, aOR 0.68, 95% CI 0.62–0.76). Similar results were found for current e-cigarette use, with immigrants being less likely to be current users. Findings that e-cigarette use among all immigrants—regardless of years living in the U.S.—was consistently lower than among the native-born population run contrary to the notion that as length of stay increases, health behaviors between immigrants and native populations of the host country become similar.
Circulating miRNAs as Biomarkers for Mitochondrial Neuro-Gastrointestinal Encephalomyopathy

Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE) is an ultra-rare disease for which there are currently no validated outcome measures for assessing therapeutic intervention efficacy. The aim of this study was to identify a plasma and/or serum microRNA (miRNA) biomarker panel for MNGIE. Sixty-five patients and 65 age and sex matched healthy controls were recruited and assigned to one of four study phases: (i) discovery for sample size determination; (ii) candidate screening; (iii) candidate validation; and (iv) verifying the performance of the validated miRNA panel in four patients treated with erythrocyte-encapsulated thymidine phosphorylase (EE-TP), an enzyme replacement under development for MNGIE. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to profile miRNAs in serum and/or plasma samples collected for the discovery, validation and performance phases, and next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis was applied to serum samples assigned to the candidate screening phase. Forty-one differentially expressed candidate miRNAs were identified in the sera of patients (p < 0.05, log2 fold change > 1). The validation cohort revealed that of those, 27 miRNAs were upregulated in plasma and three miRNAs were upregulated in sera (p < 0.05). Through binary logistic regression analyses, five plasma miRNAs (miR-192-5p, miR-193a-5p, miR-194-5p, miR-215-5p and miR-34a-5p) and three serum miRNAs (miR-192-5p, miR-194-5p and miR-34a-5p) were shown to robustly distinguish MNGIE from healthy controls. Reduced longitudinal miRNA expression of miR-34a-5p was observed in all four patients treated with EE-TP and coincided with biochemical and clinical improvements. We recommend the inclusion of the plasma exploratory miRNA biomarker panel in future clinical trials of investigational therapies for MNGIE; it may have prognostic value for assessing clinical status.
Circulating Tumor DNA Reflects Uveal Melanoma Responses to Protein Kinase C Inhibition

Simple Summary Uveal melanoma (UM) is a rare cancer, with no effective standard systemic therapy in the metastatic setting. Over 95% of UM harbor activating driver mutations that can be detected in the circulation. In this study, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was measured in 17 metastatic UM patients treated with protein kinase C inhibitor (PKCi)-based therapy. ctDNA predicted response to targeted therapy and increasing UM ctDNA preceded radiological progression with a lead-time of 4–10 weeks. Next generation sequencing (NGS) of ctDNA also identified prognostic and treatment resistance mutations. Longitudinal ctDNA monitoring is useful for monitoring disease response and progression in metastatic UM and is a valuable addition to adaptive clinical trial design. Abstract The prognosis for patients with UM is poor, and recent clinical trials have failed to prolong overall survival (OS) of these patients. Over 95% of UM harbor activating driver mutations, and this allows for the investigation of ctDNA. In this study, we investigated the value of ctDNA for adaptive clinical trial design in metastatic UM. Longitudinal plasma samples were analyzed for ctDNA in 17 metastatic UM patients treated with PKCi-based therapy in a phase 1 clinical trial setting. Plasma ctDNA was assessed using digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) and a custom melanoma gene panel for targeted next generation sequencing (NGS). Baseline ctDNA strongly correlated with baseline lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (p < 0.001) and baseline disease burden (p = 0.002). Early during treatment (EDT) ctDNA accurately predicted patients with clinical benefit to PKCi using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves (AUC 0.84, [95% confidence interval 0.65–1.0, p = 0.026]). Longitudinal ctDNA assessment was informative for establishing clinical benefit and detecting disease progression with 7/8 (88%) of patients showing a rise in ctDNA and targeted NGS of ctDNA revealed putative resistance mechanisms prior to radiological progression. The inclusion of longitudinal ctDNA monitoring in metastatic UM can advance adaptive clinical trial design.
In the Arms of Morpheus without Morphia; Mitigating the United States Opioid Epidemic by Decreasing the Surgical Use of Opioids

The opioid epidemic is a major public health issue in the United States. Exposure of opioid naïve-patients to opioids in the perioperative period is a well-documented source of continued use with one in 20 opioid-naïve surgical patients continuing to use opioids beyond 90 days. There is no association with magnitude of surgery, major versus minor, and the strongest predictor of continued use is surgical exposure. Causal factors include over reliance on opioids for intraoperative and postoperative analgesia and excessive ambulatory opioid prescribing. Opioid-induced hyperalgesia can paradoxically result from intraoperative (anesthesia controlled) opioid administration. Increasing size of initial prescription is a strong predictor of continued use necessitating procedure specific supplies limited to under 3-days. Alternative multimodal pain management (non-opioid medications and regional anesthesia) that limit opioid use must be a high priority with opioids reserved for severe breakthrough pain. Barriers to implementation of opioid-sparing pathways include reluctance to adopt protocols and apprehension about opioid elimination. Considering the number of surgeries performed annually in the United States, perioperative physicians must aggressively address modifiable factors in surgical patients. Patient care pathways need to be constructed collaboratively by surgeons and anesthesiologists with continuing feedback to optimize patient outcomes including iatrogenic opioid dependence.
Changes to Physical Activity during a Global Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Analysis among a Diverse Population-Based Sample of Emerging Adults in the U.S.

Emerging adults’ lives have changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical activity (PA) behaviors need to be examined to inform interventions and improve health. Responses to the C-EAT (COVID-19 Eating and Activity over Time) survey (N = 720; age = 24.7 ± 2.0 yrs) were analyzed. This mixed-methods study quantitatively examined changes in self-reported PA (hours/week of mild PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and total PA) from 2018 to 2020. Qualitative responses on how COVID-19 impacted PA were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Hours of PA were lower on average for all intensity levels during COVID-19 than in 2018 (p’s < 0.0001). Over half of the sample reported a decrease in MVPA (53.8%) and total PA (55.6%); 42.6% reported a decrease in mild PA. High SES were more likely to report an increase in total PA (p = 0.001) compared to those of lower SES. Most (83.6%) participants perceived that COVID-19 had influenced their PA. The most common explanations were decreased gym access, effects on outdoor PA, and increased dependence on at-home PA. Results suggest that emerging adults would benefit from behavioral interventions and health promotion efforts in response to the pandemic, with a focus on activities that can be easily performed in the home or in safe neighborhood spaces.
Adult Gambling Problems and Histories of Mental Health and Substance Use: Findings from a Prospective Multi-Wave Australian Cohort Study

Little is known about the cumulative effect of adolescent and young adult mental health difficulties and substance use problems on gambling behaviour in adulthood. We use data from one of Australia’s longest running studies of social and emotional development to examine the extent to which: (1) mental health symptoms (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and substance use (weekly binge drinking, tobacco, and cannabis use) from adolescence (13–18 years) into young adulthood (19–28 years) predict gambling problems in adulthood (31–32 years); and (2) risk relationships differ by sex. Analyses were based on responses from 1365 adolescent and young adult participants, spanning seven waves of data collection (1998–2014). Persistent adolescent to young adult binge drinking, tobacco use and cannabis use predicted gambling at age 31–32 years (OR = 2.30–3.42). Binge drinking and tobacco use in young adulthood also predicted gambling at age 31–32 years (OR = 2.04–2.54). Prior mental health symptoms were not associated with gambling and no risk relationships differed by sex. Findings suggest that gambling problems in adulthood may be related to the earlier development of other addictive behaviours, and that interventions targeting substance use from adolescence to young adulthood may confer additional gains in preventing later gambling behaviours.
The Role of Conspiracy Theories in the Spread of COVID-19 across the United States

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) inspires various conspiracy theories, which could divert public attention, alter human behaviors, and consequently affect the spread of the pandemic. Here we estimate the relation of the online attention on COVID-19-related conspiracy theories to human mobility, as well as to the numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases, during 14 March 2020 to 28 August 2020. We observe that the online attention to COVID-19 conspiracy theories is significantly and negatively related to human mobility, but its negative impact is noticeably less than those of the attention to official information and personal protection measures. Since human mobility significantly promotes the spread of COVID-19, the attention to official information and personal protection measures lowers COVID-19 cases by 16.16% and 9.41%, respectively, while attention to conspiracy theories only reduces the COVID-19 cases by 6.65%. In addition, we find that in the states with higher online attention to COVID-19 conspiracy theories, the negative relation of the attention to conspiracy theories is much weaker than that in states where there is less concern about conspiracies. This study stresses the necessity of restricting the online transmission of unfounded conspiracy theories during a pandemic.
Noninvasive Urine-Based Tests to Diagnose or Detect Recurrence of Bladder Cancer

Simple Summary Bladder cancer (BC) is the tenth most common cancer worldwide, with approximatively 550,000 new cases and 200,000 deaths in 2018. BC is divided into two subgroups: non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, an early stage of the cancer, and muscle invasive bladder cancer, which is more aggressive. The crucial issue today is to be able to detect BC easily and early, with high sensitivity and specificity, in order to treat it sooner, using less invasive methods. Over the past decade, progress has been made to improve detection methods using novel urinary biomarkers. In this review, we discuss the present and future of noninvasive urine tests to diagnose or detect the recurrence of bladder cancer. Abstract Liquid biopsies are increasingly used for the diagnosis and follow-up of cancer patients. Urine is a body fluid that can be used to detect cancers and others diseases. It is noninvasive and easy to collect. To detect Bladder Cancer (BC), cytology is the first assay used. It is an effective way to detect high grade BC but has a high rate of equivocal results, especially for low grade BC. Furthermore, cystoscopy is used to confirm cytology results and to determine cancer status. Cystoscopy is also effective but highly invasive, and not well accepted by patients, especially for BC follow-up. In this review we survey the numerous assays recently developed in order to diagnose BC at an early stage, and to facilitate the follow-up of patients. We discuss their effectiveness, ease of use, and applications. Finally, we discuss assays that, in the future, could improve the diagnosis and management of BC patients.