Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of RNA Polymerase III Augments the Anti-Cancer Properties of TNFα

Simple Summary Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is a cytokine that plays an important role in apoptosis, cell survival, as well as in inflammation and immunity. Although named for its antitumor properties, TNFα has tumour-promoting properties. TNFα is often present in large quantities in tumours, and cancer cells frequently acquire resistance to this cytokine. Identifying the means to sensitise the cancer cells to TNFα would have therapeutical benefits. We, therefore, sought to determine whether inhibition of RNA polymerase III (Pol III), which synthesises several essential components of the protein biosynthetic machinery, would affect the response of cancer cells to TNFα. Here we show that Pol III inhibition augments the cytotoxic and cytostatic effects of TNFα. Our data suggest that targeting Pol III may be a potential therapeutic intervention to treat colorectal cancer. Abstract Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is a multifunctional cytokine that plays a pivotal role in apoptosis, cell survival, as well as in inflammation and immunity. Although named for its antitumor properties, TNFα also has tumour-promoting properties. TNFα is often present in large quantities in tumours, and cancer cells frequently acquire resistance to this cytokine. Consequently, TNFα may increase the proliferation and metastatic potential of cancer cells. Furthermore, the TNFα-driven increase in metastasis is a result of the ability of this cytokine to induce the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Overcoming the resistance of cancer cells to TNFα may have a potential therapeutic benefit. NF-κB is a crucial transcription factor mediating inflammatory signals and has a wide-ranging role in tumour progression. NF-κB is strongly activated in response to TNFα and contributes to cell survival and proliferation. The pro-inflammatory and pro-survival function of NF-κB can be disrupted by blocking macromolecule synthesis (transcription, translation). Consistently, inhibition of transcription or translation strongly sensitises cells to TNFα-induced cell death. RNA polymerase III (Pol III) synthesises several essential components of the protein biosynthetic machinery, such as tRNA, 5S rRNA, and 7SL RNA. No studies, however, directly explored the possibility that specific inhibition of Pol III activity sensitises cancer cells to TNFα. Here we show that in colorectal cancer cells, Pol III inhibition augments the cytotoxic and cytostatic effects of TNFα. Pol III inhibition enhances TNFα-induced apoptosis and also blocks TNFα-induced EMT. Concomitantly, we observe alterations in the levels of proteins related to proliferation, migration, and EMT. Finally, our data show that Pol III inhibition is associated with lower NF-κB activation upon TNFα treatment, thus potentially suggesting the mechanism of Pol III inhibition-driven sensitisation of cancer cells to this cytokine.
Sustainable coffee capsule consumption: Understanding Italian consumers' purchasing drivers

Introduction Coffee is among the most appreciated beverages by consumers globally. Single serve coffee market expands and is highly profitable, but coffee in capsules (CIC) raises a major issue of environmental sustainability. The coffee industry aims to expand the CIC sales and to reduce capsule environmental impact and waste. To better define a sustainability-oriented strategy, the coffee industry needs to understand how to approach different socio-economic consumer groups. Thus, this study aims to explore consumers' perception and awareness of sustainable CIC, with specific attention on consumers' socio-economic characteristics. Methods The study interviewed a sample of 261 Italian consumers. Data elaboration includes four main steps: a cluster analysis leading to three socio-economic groups, a factor and structural equation modeling to confirm the factors and the relation between CIC sustainability and quality factors, and a multinomial logistic regression to examine the factors that drive the likeliness of consumers' willingness to purchase sustainable CIC. Results Results support that all groups of consumers value sustainability attribute as main CIC purchasing decision driver. The sustainability factor does not show any significance on the explanation of the CIC quality factor. Consumer perception of the CIC sustainability is not affected by age, income, level of education, and gender. Conclusion This study provides preliminary insights for sustainable CIC production and consumption.
Perceptions of Punishment Risks Among Youth: Can Cyberbullying Be Deterred?

ABSTRACT While the philosophy of deterrence has long been rooted in the criminal justice system and has informed policy and programming, the results of such strategies have been mixed. A handful of research efforts have focused on the relationship between various deterrence perspectives and cyberbullying; however, few address this issue in a non-Western context. To develop a more comprehensive assessment of cyberbullying deterrence and perceptions of punishment among adolescents, this study utilizes a large-scale data set collected from Taiwan. Results indicate a negative association between cyberbullying and a sense of the certainty of punishment from authorities. Moreover, perceptions of the severity of punishment decrease the propensity for cyberbullying behavior.
Nasal-temporal asymmetric changes in retinal peripheral refractive error in myopic adolescents induced by overnight orthokeratology lenses

Objective To observe the changes in peripheral refraction in myopic adolescents after overnight orthokeratology and its influencing factors. Methods This was a prospective study among young myopic adolescents aged 8–14 years (n = 21). The peripheral refraction of the subjects was measured at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30° from the nasal and temporal side to the central fixation by WAM-5500 Open-field refractometer. The axial length, baseline spherical equivalent refraction, and other parameters were measured. The data were measured at baseline and 1, 3, and 12 months after wearing orthokeratology lenses. Results The relative peripheral refraction at the nasal and temporal side from central to 30° eccentricity revealed relative hyperopic defocus in all subjects at baseline measurement. One month after wearing the orthokeratology lenses, the relative peripheral refraction changed to myopic defocus, the nasal-temporal relative peripheral refraction was asymmetric, and the observed difference was statistically significant. Positive correlations were found between the change amount of nasal relative peripheral refraction and baseline spherical equivalent refraction, the baseline nasal relative peripheral refraction was higher than that on the temporal side, and after orthokeratology, the value of nasal relative peripheral refraction was lower than that on the temporal side. The changes at 30° on both sides were correlated to the axial elongation (rNasal = 0.565, rTemporal = 0.526, p < 0.05). Conclusion This study demonstrated that after orthokeratology, relative peripheral hyperopia in the myopic patients turned into relative peripheral myopia, and the nasal-temporal asymmetry changed significantly after orthokeratology, which was correlated with the baseline refractive state.
Correlations between contrast-enhanced ultrasound and microvessel density in non-small cell lung cancer: A prospective study

Background Immunohistochemical microvessel density (MVD) is an early indicator of angiogenesis and it could be used to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We sought to identify the ability of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in evaluating MVD of subpleural NSCLC. Methods We prospectively collected CEUS data of NSCLC confirmed by ultrasound-guided transthoracic needle biopsy from October 2019 to February 2021, The MVD of NSCLC counted by CD34-positive vessels of immunohistochemical staining. Microflow enhancement (MFE) of CEUS was divided into “dead wood”, “cotton”, and “vascular” patterns. Pathology subgroup and MVD between different MFE patterns were analyzed, respectively. The arrival time, time to peak, peak intensity (PI), and area under curve (AUC) derivefrom time-intensity curve of CEUS with MVD in NSCLC and its pathological subgroups (adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma) were subjected to correlation analysis. Results A total of 87 patients were included in this study, consisting of 53 cases of adenocarcinoma and 34 cases of squamous cell carcinoma with a mean MVD of 27.8 ± 12.2 mm–1. There was a significant statistical difference in MFE patterns between two pathological subgroups (p < 0.05). Besides, the MVD of “cotton” and “vascular” patterns were significantly higher than that of “dead wood” pattern (both of p < 0.05), whereas there was no significant difference in MVD between “cotton” pattern and “vascular” pattern. PI and AUC of CEUS were positively correlated with the MVD of NSCLC (r = 0.497, p < 0.001, and r = 0.367, p < 0.001, respectively). Besides, PI and AUC of CEUS were positively correlated with the MVD of squamous cell carcinoma (r = 0.802, and r = 0.663, respectively; both of p < 0.001). Only the PI was positively correlated with the MVD of lung adenocarcinoma (r = 0.288, p = 0.037). Conclusions MFE patterns and quantitative parameters of CEUS had good correlation with MVD of NSCLC, especially in squamous cell carcinoma.
Canonical Statistical Averages of Coupled Quantum-Classical Systems

We study the thermal-equilibrium distribution generated by a Nose-Hoover thermostat coupled to a mixed quantum-classical system, whose time evolution is taken to be either Ehrenfest (E), or Car-Parrinello (CP) type. It is found that neither E or CP dynamics lead to the correct averages for the quantum subsystem. A new classical modified CP dynamics is introduced which mimics the level quantization and yield the correct quantum averages after a suitable reweighting of the trajectories. We support our theoretical formulation with numerical simulations on a simple model system.
Impact of COVID-19 on inpatient care related to skin conditions

Background The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected our society and healthcare system. This study aims to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 on the number of hospitalized patients with dermatological diseases in Croatia, as well as the number of these patients treated surgically and conservatively, before (2017–2019) and during the pandemic (2020–2021). Materials and methods This is a retrospective, comparative study of the hospital admission rate for patients with skin, subcutaneous tissue, and breast disorders both before and during the pandemic. This study used data from the Croatian Institute of Public Health (CIPH) and the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (CHIF). Inpatient data for the CHIF data collection were categorized using the Australian Refined Diagnosis Related Groups (AR-DRGs). All hospital admissions for dermatology patients at all non-specialized hospitals in Croatia were tracked during two periods, before (2017–2019) and during the pandemic (2020–2021). Results The average number of dermatology patients in all hospitals fell by 29% during the pandemic. The overall number of dermatological patients admitted to hospitals fell by 32% in 2020 and by 26% in 2021 when compared to the number of patients admitted each year on average over the preceding 3 years. Additionally, there was an average 22% fall in surgical procedures performed during the pandemic. The only exception for surgical procedures is Major Breast Reconstruction for which is noted an increase, as also for Malignant Breast Disorders, Minor Complexity and Major Skin Disorders, Minor Complexity in a group of non-surgically treated patients. Conclusion Examining the all consequences of the Croatian dermatological patient care interruption will require more investigation. Reduced access to medical care during the pandemic is anticipated to lead to later illness diagnosis, a later start to treatment, a poorer disease prognosis, as well as higher medical expenditures.
Pharmacological modulation of chloride channels as a therapeutic strategy for neurological disorders

Chloride homeostasis is critical in the physiological functions of the central nervous system (CNS). Its concentration is precisely regulated by multiple ion-transporting proteins such as chloride channels and transporters that are widely distributed in the brain cells, including neurons and glia. Unlike ion transporters, chloride channels provide rapid responses to efficiently regulate ion flux. Some of chloride channels are also permeable to selected organic anions such as glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid, suggesting neuroexcitatory and neuroinhibitory functions while gating. Dysregulated chloride channels are implicated in neurological disorders, e.g., ischemia and neuroinflammation. Modulation of chloride homeostasis through chloride channels has been suggested as a potential therapeutic approach for neurological disorders. The drug design for CNS diseases is challenging because it requires the therapeutics to traverse the blood-brain-barrier. Small molecules are a well-established modality with better cell permeability due to their lower molecular weight and flexibility for structure optimization compared to biologics. In this article, we describe the important roles of chloride homeostasis in each type of brain cells and introduce selected chloride channels identified in the CNS. We then discuss the contribution of their dysregulations towards the pathogenesis of neurological disorders, emphasizing the potential of targeting chloride channels as a therapeutic strategy for CNS disease treatment. Along with this literature survey, we summarize the small molecules that modulate chloride channels and propose the potential strategy of optimizing existing drugs to brain-penetrants to support future CNS drug discovery.
Effect of mindfulness on anxiety and depression in insomnia patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background As a common clinical symptom, insomnia has a high incidence of combined mental illness and it is also a risk factor for the development of depression, anxiety and suicide. As a new concept in the field of health in recent years, mindfulness therapy can improve insomnia, anxiety and depression, which is a new way to solve such diseases. Objective This study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of mindfulness compared with conventional treatment on scores of the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) in people with insomnia and anxiety-depressive symptoms. Methods Articles published before October 2022 were searched from seven databases and included in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate mindfulness therapy. The assessment tool of Cochrane bias risk was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the literature. The main outcome indicators were HAMD and HAMA scores, and the secondary outcome indicators were SDS and SAS scores. Results Ten randomized controlled trials including 1,058 subjects were systematically evaluated and meta-analyzed in this study. In the main outcome indicators, there was a significant difference between mindfulness therapy and conventional treatment in reducing HAMD score (MD: −3.67, 95% CI: −5.22–2.11, p < 0.01) and HAMA score (MD: −3.23, 95% CI: −3.90–2.57, p < 0.01). In the secondary outcome indicators, mindfulness therapy also showed a significant difference in reducing SDS scores (MD: −6.49, 95% CI: −6.86–6.11, p < 0.01) and SAS scores (MD: −7.97, 95% CI: −9.68–6.27, p < 0.01) compared with conventional treatment. Conclusion For the people with insomnia, anxiety and depression, the use of conventional treatment with the addition of 4–12 weeks of mindfulness treatment can significantly improve anxiety and depression symptoms of patients. This is a new diagnosis and treatment idea recommended for insomniacs with or without anxiety and depression symptoms. Due to the methodological defects in the included study and the limited sample size of this paper, more well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed for verification.
Determination of Foetal Scalp Blood Sampling pH as an Indicator of Loss of Foetal Well-Being in Women Undergoing Caesarean Section

Asphyxia during birth is one of the three leading causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality among newborns carried to term. The objective of this study was to evaluate the measurement of the foetal scalp blood pH as a measure of foetal status, evaluating: cord gases, meconium-stained fluid, APGAR score or the need for neonatal resuscitation in pregnant women undergoing caesarean sections. A cross-sectional study was carried out over a period of 5 years (2017–2021) at the Hospital de Poniente (southern Spain). A total of 127 pregnant women participated from whom a foetal scalp blood pH sample was taken and used to indicate the need for an urgent caesarean section. The results showed a correlation between the pH of the scalp blood and the pH of the umbilical cord artery, umbilical cord vein (Rho of Spearman arterial pH: 0.64, p < 0.001; Rho of Spearman venous pH: 0.58, p < 0.001) and the APGAR test one minute after delivery (Spearman’s Rho coefficient of 0.33, p < 0.01). These results suggest that the foetal scalp pH should not be considered a foolproof method to indicate an urgent caesarean section. Foetal scalp pH sampling can be used as a complementary test, in conjunction with cardiotocography, to indicate whether an emergency caesarean section is necessary due to loss of foetal well-being.
Randomized Tensor Robust PCA for Noisy Hyperspectral Image Classification

Removing noise from hyperspectral images can be very beneficial for improving classification accuracy. Recently, tensor robust principal component analysis (TRPCA) has been successfully employed to reduce noise in hyperspectral images. In TRPCA, a minimization involving a tensor nuclear norm and a $\ell _{1}$ -norm is employed to separate the low-rank hyperspectral image from the sparse noise. Tensor nuclear norm minimization is solved by iteratively performing tensor singular-value thresholding (T-SVT). However, TRPCA possesses high computational complexity primarily due to the implementation of the T-SVT operator. The conventional approach for T-SVT is first to perform full tensor singular value decomposition (T-SVD) and then to shrink the singular values of the frontal slices in the frequency domain. However, when the solution of tensor nuclear norm minimization is a low-rank tensor, a good strategy is to incrementally find the singular values until they fall below the threshold. In this letter, we propose a randomized blocked algorithm for computing T-SVT, and we leverage the compression attained by the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to accelerate TRPCA. Numerical experiments indicate that our method is significantly faster than performing TRPCA via the full T-SVD while maintaining classification accuracy.
Effects of Selenium Yeast on Egg Quality, Plasma Antioxidants, Selenium Deposition and Eggshell Formation in Aged Laying Hens

Simple Summary The depression of egg quality during the late stage of the laying cycle is one of the knotty issues in the poultry industry, which cause a great economic loss. Our study revealed that 0.45 mg/kg selenium yeast supplementation can alleviate the decline of egg quality in aged laying hens. In addition, organs Se levels and plasma antioxidant capacity were significantly higher with Se supplementation. Transcriptomic analysis identified some key candidate genes and potential molecular processes involved in selenium yeast’s effects on eggshell formation. We inferred that 0.45 mg/kg selenium yeast has potential functions to alleviate the decrease in eggshell quality in aged laying hens to extend the laying cycle. These findings provide several new fundamental insights into improving egg quality in aged laying hens and extending the laying cycle. Abstract Internal egg and eggshell quality are often deteriorated in aging laying hens, which causes huge economic losses in the poultry industry. Selenium yeast (SY), as an organic food additive, is utilized to enhance laying performance and egg quality. To extend the egg production cycle, effects of selenium yeast supplementation on egg quality, plasma antioxidants and selenium deposition in aged laying hens were evaluated. In this study, five hundred and twenty-five 76-week-old Jing Hong laying hens were fed a selenium-deficient (SD) diet for 6 weeks. After Se depletion, the hens were randomly divided into seven treatments, which included an SD diet, and dietary supplementation of SY and sodium selenite (SS) at 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45 mg/kg to investigate the effect on egg quality, plasma antioxidant capacity, and selenium content in reproductive organs. After 12 weeks of feeding, dietary SY supplementation resulted in higher eggshell strength (SY0.45) (p < 0.05) and lower shell translucence. Moreover, organs Se levels and plasma antioxidant capacity (T-AOC, T-SOD, and GSH-Px activity) were significantly higher with Se supplementation (p < 0.05). Transcriptomic analysis identified some key candidate genes including cell migration inducing hyaluronidase 1 (CEMIP), ovalbumin (OVAL), solute carrier family 6 member 17 (SLC6A17), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and proenkephalin (PENK), and potential molecular processes (eggshell mineralization, ion transport, and eggshell formation) involved in selenium yeast’s effects on eggshell formation. In conclusion, SY has beneficial functions for eggshell and we recommend the supplementation of 0.45 mg/kg SY to alleviate the decrease in eggshell quality in aged laying hens.
Current and future methods of probiotic therapy for necrotizing enterocolitis

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a complex intestinal disease that primarily affects premature neonates. Given its significant mortality and morbidity, there is an urgent need to develop improved prophylactic measures against the disease. One potential preventative strategy for NEC is the use of probiotics. Although there has been significant interest for decades in probiotics in neonatal care, no clear guidelines exist regarding which probiotic to use or for which patients, and no FDA-approved products exist on the market for NEC. In addition, there is lack of agreement regarding the benefits of probiotics in neonates, as well as some concerns about the safety and efficacy of available products. We discuss currently available probiotics as well as next-generation probiotics and novel delivery strategies which may offer an avenue to capitalize on the benefits of probiotics, while minimizing the risks. Thus, probiotics may still prove to be an effective prevention strategy for NEC, although further product development and research is needed to support use in the preterm population.
Transverse Oscillations of a Liquid Jet. I

Observations have been made of a thin rectangular jet which issues from an orifice and impinges upon the apex of a rigid wedge which is parallel to the plane of the jet. Such a system displays steady motion or motion corresponding to one of a unique set of ordered oscillatory modes. Which state of motion occurs at a given time depends upon stream thickness, orifice‐to‐edge distance, stream velocity, kinematic viscosity, and the previous history of the jet. The investigation is divided into two main parts. One deals with the ranges of parameters of the system for which it will execute self‐maintained oscillations of a given mode; the other treats frequency characteristics for the different modes. It is found that self‐maintained oscillations exist in fluids with a wide range of viscosity. The frequency characteristics are obtained by both optical and acoustical methods; an empirical formula for the frequency is developed.