Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of lixisenatide treatment on mild cachexia and related metabolic abnormalities in Walker‐256 tumour‐bearing rats

Lixisenatide, a glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) receptor agonist, is used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It increases insulin (INS) secretion and can decrease INS resistance, improving metabolic disorders in this disease. However, its effects on metabolic disturbances in cancer‐bearing, which also exhibit decreased INS secretion and INS resistance, changes that may contribute to weight loss (cachexia), have not yet been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the lixisenatide treatment effects on mild cachexia and related metabolic abnormalities in Walker‐256 tumour‐bearing rats. Lixisenatide (50 μg kg−1, SC) was administered once daily, for 6 days, after inoculation of Walker‐256 tumour cells. Acute lixisenatide treatment did not improve hypoinsulinemia, INS secretion and INS resistance of tumour‐bearing rats. It also did not prevent the reduced glucose and increased triacylglycerol and lactate in the blood and nor the loss of retroperitoneal and epididymal fat of these animals. However, acute lixisenatide treatment accentuated the body mass loss of tumour‐bearing rats. Therefore, lixisenatide, unlike T2DM, does not improve hypoinsulinemia and INS resistance associated with cancer, evidencing that it does not have the same beneficial effects in these two diseases. In addition, lixisenatide aggravated weight loss of tumour‐bearing rats, suggesting that its use for treatment of T2DM patients with cancer should be avoided.
Machine Learning Strategy for Gut Microbiome-Based Diagnostic Screening of Cardiovascular Disease

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one leading cause for human mortality. Besides genetics and environmental factors, in recent years, gut microbiota has emerged as a new factor influencing CVD. Although cause-effect relationships are not clearly established, the reported associations between alterations in gut microbiota and CVD are prominent. Therefore, we hypothesized that machine learning (ML) could be used for gut microbiome–based diagnostic screening of CVD. To test our hypothesis, fecal 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing data of 478 CVD and 473 non-CVD human subjects collected through the American Gut Project were analyzed using 5 supervised ML algorithms including random forest, support vector machine, decision tree, elastic net, and neural networks. Thirty-nine differential bacterial taxa were identified between the CVD and non-CVD groups. ML modeling using these taxonomic features achieved a testing area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.0, perfect antidiscrimination; 0.5, random guessing; 1.0, perfect discrimination) of ≈0.58 (random forest and neural networks). Next, the ML models were trained with the top 500 high-variance features of operational taxonomic units, instead of bacterial taxa, and an improved testing area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of ≈0.65 (random forest) was achieved. Further, by limiting the selection to only the top 25 highly contributing operational taxonomic unit features, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves was further significantly enhanced to ≈0.70. Overall, our study is the first to identify dysbiosis of gut microbiota in CVD patients as a group and apply this knowledge to develop a gut microbiome–based ML approach for diagnostic screening of CVD.
A label’s a label, no matter the dog: Evaluating the generalizability of the removal of breed labels from adoption cards

A common barrier to entry for New York City (NYC) dog adopters trying to rent apartments is the breed label the animal shelter assigned to their dog, despite the fact the labelling is primarily based on intuition and appearance. Bideawee, a limited admission shelter with three locations in the greater New York area, including one in NYC, phased out breed labels from their adoption cards in December 2017. In this study, we evaluated the generalizability of previous findings, specifically, that the removal of breed labels from adoption cards affected length of stay. Moreover, due to Bideawee’s multi-location structure, this study provided a unique opportunity to compare variables across different shelter sites while having shelter administration practices held constant. Data from 16-month time periods before and after breed labels were removed was compared. The median length of stay of a dog at Bideawee decreased by 11.3 days (-37.3%) once breed labels were removed (Mdn = 19.0) compared to when breed labels were in place (Mdn = 30.3). A Mann Whitney test indicated that this difference was statistically significant (U(Nno breed labels = 1259, Nbreed labels = 987) = 386309.5, z = -15.41, p < . 001). Dogs with a “green” behavior assessments (on a scale of green, blue, yellow, red) were almost four and a half times more likely to be adopted faster than “red” dogs (HR: 4.495, 95% CI 2.755–7.335, p < .001) before breed labels were removed, but only two times as likely to be adopted faster afterwards (HR: 2.220, 95% CI 1.514–3.254, p < .001). The return rate stayed constant across the two time periods at 6%. These findings provide new insights on dog adoptions in the NYC area and suggest that the removal of breed labels will help all dogs get adopted from animal shelters.
A framework for defining FLASH dose rate for pencil beam scanning

Purpose To develop a method of (a) calculating the dose rate of voxels within a proton field delivered using pencil beam scanning (PBS), and (b) reporting a representative dose rate for the PBS treatment field that enables correspondence between multiple treatment modalities. This method takes into account the unique spatiotemporal delivery patterns of PBS FLASH radiotherapy. Methods The dose rate at each voxel of a PBS radiation field is approximately the quotient of the voxel’s dose and “effective” irradiation time. Each voxel’s “effective” irradiation time starts when the cumulative dose rises above a chosen threshold value, and stops when its cumulative dose reaches its total dose minus the same threshold value. The above calculation yields a distribution of dose rates for the voxels within a PBS treatment field. To report a representative dose rate for the PBS field, we propose a user‐selectable parameter of pth percentile of the dose rate distribution, such that (100 − p) % of the field is above the corresponding dose rate. To demonstrate the method described above, we design FLASH transmission fields using 250 MeV protons and calculate the PBS dose rate distributions in both two‐dimensional (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) models. To further evaluate the formalism, we provide an example of a clinical PBS treatment field. Results With the 2D PBS transmission field, it is demonstrated that the time to accumulate the total dose at a voxel is limited to a fraction of the delivery time of the entire field. In addition, the spatial distributions of dose and dose rate are quite different within the field. For the 10 × 10 cm2 PBS field irradiating a 3D water phantom, the prescribed dose of 10 Gy at 10 cm depth is delivered in 1.0 s. The dose rate decreases in the irradiated volume with increasing depth (until the Bragg peak) due to increase of beam spot size by Coulomb scattering. For example, 95% of the irradiated volume between 0 and 10 cm depth receive >40 Gy/s, whereas between 0–20 cm and 0–30 cm depth, 95% of the irradiated volume received >36 Gy/s and >24 Gy/s, respectively. For the clinical PBS treatment field, the scanning pattern conforms to the PTV. PBS dose rate data are presented for the PTV and adjacent normal organs. Conclusion We have developed a method of calculating the dose rate distribution of a PBS proton field and have recommended nomenclature for reporting PBS treatment dose rate. We believe that standardizing the method for calculating and reporting PBS treatment dose rates, in a manner that corresponds with other treatment modalities, will advance the research and potential application of PBS FLASH radiotherapy.
Fit for purpose? A cross-sectional study to evaluate the acceptability and usability of HeadUp, a novel neck support collar for neurological neck weakness

Abstract The HeadUp collar (previously known as the Sheffield Support Snood) provides support for neck weakness caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and has shown to be superior to alternative options in a small cohort of patients from one single center. Here we report the assessment of the HeadUp collar in a larger cohort of patients, exploring the use in other neurological conditions and expanding to other centers across the UK and Ireland. An interventional cross-sectional study design was implemented to investigate the usability and acceptability of the HeadUp collar. A total of 139 patients were recruited for the study, 117 patients had a diagnosis of ALS and 22 patients presented with neck weakness due to other neurological conditions. Participants were assessed at baseline, fitted a HeadUp collar and followed-up one month later. The performance of the HeadUp collar was rated favorably compared to previously worn collars in terms of the ability to eat, drink and swallow. Findings suggest that the collar also permitted a more acceptable range of head movements whilst maintaining a good level of support. We conclude that the HeadUp collar is a suitable option for patients with neck weakness due to ALS and other neurological conditions.
Do Consumers Change Their Perception of Liking, Expected Satiety, and Healthiness of a Product If They Know It Is a Ready-to Eat Meal?

A ready-to-eat meal is a prepared meal within a container or package that requires little preparation or heating before consumption. Despite ready-to-eat meals being widely consumed, to date, little information is available on the consumers’ perceptions of such products in comparison to a homemade meal. Thus, three groups of eighty participants took part in the present study; each group evaluated five ready-to-eat meals (Pasta, Meatballs, Salad, Beans, and a Sandwich) using one of the following conditions: (i) observation of the packaging, (ii) observation of the meal on a plate (photographs), and (iii) tasting the ready-to-eat product with the packaging being presented alongside the meal. Consumers were asked about their liking, satiety, and healthiness perception. The results showed that both the ready-to-eat pack and sensory quality of the product highly impact liking and healthiness perceptions. Being a ready-to-eat meal in a pack has a negative impact on liking expectations of the meal; however, the sensory quality can either counteract these effects or increase them. Expected satiety of meals depends on the type of meal and varies slightly according to the evaluation condition.
Identification of tomato yellow leaf curl viurs resistant tomato genotypes

Tomato germplasm is a rich source of diversity for different biotic and abiotic stresses. Tomato plant faces number of biotic and abiotic stresses during its growing season. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus is one of the important diseases among biotic stresses. Â Keeping in view the importance of the crop to the economy, made it necessary to collect and characterize available commercial varieties from Pakistan andÂ accessions from TGRC (Tomato Genetic Resource Centre) and beyond as a first step to its improvement. 50 tomato accessions were assessed for morphological traits using the IPGRIâ€™s descriptor list. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with two replications. Data were collected on following morphological parameters; days to maturity, no of fruits per plant, fruit weight and yield per plant for all 50 accessions. In experiment we identified the symptoms & viral load for the identification of resistant genotypes against TYLCV in tomato. Secondly identified tomato genotypes with good potential for high economic traits & adaptability of accessions were evaluated. In this experiment reported SSR primers were used on 20 tomato genotypes that produced polymorphic bands. Disease scoring was done on visual observation bases in the field condition. Disease resistant was measured using detached leaf and whole plant assays. Out of 400 plants 0.24% moderately susceptible, 0.23% high susceptible, 0.21% less susceptible, 0.20% were found with no symptoms on plant, whereas only 0.13% plants were found with extremely high symptoms of TYLCV on plants and leaves. The response of whole plant to TYLCV was similar in all cases. All this work is of considerable interest for tomato breeder as well as for basic research especially in Pakistan.
Harringtonine Inhibits Zika Virus Infection through Multiple Mechanisms

Mosquito-borne Zika virus (ZIKV) is a Flavivirus that came under intense study from 2014 to 2016 for its well-known ability to cause congenital microcephaly in fetuses and neurological Guillain–Barré disease in adults. Substantial research on screening antiviral agents against ZIKV and preventing ZIKV infection are globally underway, but Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments are not available yet. Compounds from Chinese medicinal herbs may offer an opportunity for potential therapies for anti-ZIKV infection. In this study, we evaluated the antiviral efficacy of harringtonine against ZIKV. Harringtonine possessed anti-ZIKV properties against the binding, entry, replication, and release stage through the virus life cycle. In addition, harringtonine have strong virucidal effects in ZIKV and exhibited prophylaxis antiviral ability prior ZIKV infection. The antiviral activity also observed in the treatment against Japanese encephalitis reporter virus (RP9-GFP strain). Overall, this study demonstrated that harringtonine would be a favorable potential candidate for the development of anti-ZIKV infection therapies.
ALTERED TESTICULAR MORPHOLOGY AND OXIDATIVE STRESS INDUCED BY CADMIUM IN EXPERIMENTAL RATS AND PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF SIMULTANEOUS GREEN TEA EXTRACT

Cadmium (Cd), is an environmental and industrial pollutant that affects the male reproductive system. Cd induces its effect by affecting tissue antioxidant enzyme systems. Green tea extract (GTE) is an antioxidant and free radicals scavenger and has a chelating property. The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effect of GTE against testes damage induced by Cd. Four groups of male rats, were utilized as following: Controls, GTE treated, Cd treated and Cd + GTE, treated rats at the same doses. The rats received GTE and or Cd orally in drinking water. After 5 weeks, the animals were sacrificed and testes were removed for microscopic and Biochemical evaluation. The levels of lipid peroxides (LPO) and glutathione (GSH) were detected in the tissue homogenates of rat testes. The current study showed marked morphological changes in the form of swelling, congestion, hemorrhage and necrosis in testes of rats treated with Cd alone. However, the rats treated with Cd+GTE showed milder edema, congestion and minute foci of necrosis in the testes. The LPO levels were significantly higher as compared to control and of GSH were significantly lower in Cd-treated rats but when GTE was co-administrated with Cd, there was an effective reduction in oxidative stress as shown by a significant rise of GSH level. In conclusion, the rats received GTE + Cd could enhance antioxidant/ detoxification system which consequently reduced the oxidative stress in rat testes. The beneficial effect of GTE is thus potentially reducing Cd toxicity and tissue damage.
Spinal Cord Injury With Tetraplegia in Young Persons After Diving Into Shallow Water: What Has Changed in the Past 10 to 15 Years?

Study Design: Retrospective, monocentric, observational study in a tertiary health care center. Objectives: To analyze prehospital and clinical findings, complications, neurological improvement and follow-up in a young person cohort with spinal cord injury (SCI) and tetraplegia according to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) A to D after diving into shallow water. Methods: Included were all persons younger than 50 years with SCI after head-first diving into shallow water between June 2001 and June 2019. All persons with SCI were divided into complete tetraplegia (AIS A) and incomplete tetraplegia (AIS B, C, and D) to test differences. Results: A total of 59 males (98.7%) and 1 female with a mean age of 27.7 years suffered an SCI. Alcohol use was documented in 25 cases (41.7%). At the time of admission, 33 people (55%) showed a complete tetraplegia (AIS A) and 27 showed an incomplete tetraplegia with 8 AIS B (13.3%), 15 AIS C (25%), and 4 AIS D (6.7%). At the time of discharge, people with initially complete tetraplegia showed a significant improvement from admission to discharge (P ≤ .004). Persons with incomplete tetraplegia were more likely to improve their neurological status compared with complete tetraplegia patients (P ≤ .001). Especially persons with complete tetraplegia suffered from typical SCI-related problems and complications. Conclusions: People with SCI and tetraplegia at the time admission show neurological improvement in 50% of the cases with an overall better outcome in persons with incomplete tetraplegia. The surgical treatment of SCI within 24 hours seems to be associated with a better neurological outcome and a lower level of tetraplegia. The incidence of SCI caused by diving into shallow water remains stable without a significant change, especially in high-risk groups. More education and prevention programs are necessary to avoid these injuries.
In Vitro Maturation and In Vitro Fertilization of Bovine Oocytes with Heterogeneous Ooplasm

ウシ卵母細胞の体外における成熟能と受精能を,卵細胞質が不均一な卵母細胞について均一な卵母細胞と比較検討した. 不均一な卵母細胞の成熟率は培養時間の経過と共に高まり,成熟培養24時間では96. 7%と均一区の80. 8%より有意に高かった(P<0.05). 受精の場の受精能獲得精子数が10,000,7,500および5,000の条件下で受精能を検討した. 成熟卵における受精率はそれぞれ,精子数10,000では,均一区:77.5%,不均一区:93.0%,7,500では,均一区:61.7%,不均一区:80.9%,および5,000では,均一区:42.0%,不均一区:34.1%となった. 正常(単精子)受精率は,精子数10,000では,均一区:42.5%,不均一区:46.5%,7,500では,均一区:46.9%,不均一区:63.8%,および5,000では,均一区:39.5%,不均一区:29.3%となった. 正常受精率は,均一な卵母細胞と不均一な卵母細胞ともに,精子数7,500(150精子/μl)の場合に最も高く,不均一な卵母細胞では,均一な卵母細胞より高い傾向が認められた(63.8% vs 46.9%, P<0.1).
Potential mechanisms of coexistence in closely related forbs

The stable coexistence of very similar species has perplexed ecologists for decades and has been central to the development of coexistence theory. According to modern coexistence theory, species can coexist stably (i.e. persist indefinitely with no long-term density trends) as long as species' niche differences exceed competitive ability differences, even if these differences are very small. Recent studies have directly quantified niche and competitive ability differences in experimental communities at small spatial scales, but provide limited information about stable coexistence across spatial scales in heterogeneous natural communities. In this study, we use experimental and observational approaches to explore evidence for niche and competitive ability differences between two closely related, ecologically similar and widely coexisting annual forbs: Trachymene cyanopetala and T. ornata. We experimentally tested for stabilizing niche differences and competitive ability differences between these species by manipulating species' frequencies, under both well-watered and water-stressed conditions. We considered these experimental results in light of extensive field observations to explore evidence of niche segregation at a range of spatial scales. We found little evidence of intra-specific stabilization or competitive ability differences in laboratory experiments while observational studies suggested niche segregation across pollinator assemblages and small-scale microclimate heterogeneity. Though we did not quantify long-term stabilization of coexisting populations of these species, results are consistent with expectations for stable coexistence of similar species via a spatial storage effect allowing niche differences to overcome even small (to absent) competitive ability differences.
Characteristics of HIV-positive pregnant women and HIV- and antiretroviral therapy-exposed fetuses: A case-control study.

INTRODUCTION This study determined risk factors, obstetric comorbidities, and fetal conditions among HIV-positive mothers to improve their maternal care. METHODOLOGY This retrospective case-control study included HIV-positive pregnant women 18 years of age or older and age-, parity-, and delivery method-matched HIV-negative controls between 2011 and 2018. Those who had stillbirth were excluded. Baseline demographics, labor process, CD4 count, plasma HIV viral load, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen were recorded. Fetal conditions were recorded as well. RESULTS Forty HIV-positive women (45 parities; 22 via NSD, 23 via C/S) were included, with 45 HIV-negative parities as controls. Twenty-nine (72.5%) HIV-positive women had illicit drug use. In the HIV-positive group, 17% received ART prior to first perinatal visit, and 75.6% reached viral suppression pre-delivery. Zidovudine and ritonavir-boosted lopinavir were the majorly prescribed ART. Mild perineal lacerations via NSD were observed in HIV-positive women. Fetal body weight was lower in HIV- and ART-exposed fetuses (2665 vs 3010 g, p < 0.001). Preterm delivery PTB (28.9% vs 8.9%, p= 0.015) and small-for gestational age SGA (28.9% vs 8.8%, p = 0.003) rates were higher in the HIV-positive group. There was no vertical transmission of HIV. CONCLUSIONS HIV-positive women tend to deliver fetuses with low body weight and have higher SGA and PTB rates. Given that most women received zidovudine and protease inhibitors, benefits of newer agents for HIV-positive pregnancies should be studied.
Perinatal supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids corrects the aberrant social and cognitive traits observed in a genetic model of autism based on FMR1 deletion in rats

ABSTRACT Background and objective: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder for which no treatments exist. Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common form of inherited mental retardation and the most frequent monogenic cause of ASD. Given the lack of pharmacological treatments for ASD, increasing interest is devoted to non-pharmacological approaches, including dietary interventions. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are critical for neurobehavioraldevelopment. This study had two aims: 1. To validatethe recently developed Fmr1-Δexon 8 rat model of FXS; 2. To assess the impact of omega-3 PUFAs dietary supplementation during pregnancy and lactation on the altered behavior displayed by Fmr1-Δexon 8 rats. Methods: Female Fmr1-Δexon 8 and wild-type Sprague–Dawley rats were fed with either an omega-3 PUFAs enriched diet or with an isocaloric control diet during pregnancy and lactation. Behavioral experiments were carried out on the infant (Postnatal days (PNDs) 9 and 13), juvenile (PND 35) and adult (PND 90) male offspring. Results: Fmr1-Δexon 8 pups showed hypolocomotion, reduced ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) emission and impaired social discrimination compared to wild-type controls. Juvenile and adult Fmr1-Δexon 8 rats showed deficits in the social and cognitive domains, that were counteracted by perinatal omega-3 PUFAs supplementation. Conclusion: Our results support the validity of the Fmr1-Δexon 8 rat model to mimic key autistic-like features and support an important role of omega-3 PUFAs during of neurodevelopment. Although the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of omega-3 PUFAs supplementation in ASD needs to be clarified, this dietary intervention holds promise to mitigate core and comorbid autistic features.