Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gut Microbiota Metabolites in NAFLD Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Implications

Gut microbiota dysregulation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through its metabolites. Therefore, the restoration of the gut microbiota and supplementation with commensal bacterial metabolites can be of therapeutic benefit against the disease. In this review, we summarize the roles of various bacterial metabolites in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and their therapeutic implications. The gut microbiota dysregulation is a feature of NAFLD, and the signatures of gut microbiota are associated with the severity of the disease through altered bacterial metabolites. Disturbance of bile acid metabolism leads to underactivation of bile acid receptors FXR and TGR5, causal for decreased energy expenditure, increased lipogenesis, increased bile acid synthesis and increased macrophage activity. Decreased production of butyrate results in increased intestinal inflammation, increased gut permeability, endotoxemia and systemic inflammation. Dysregulation of amino acids and choline also contributes to lipid accumulation and to a chronic inflammatory status. In some NAFLD patients, overproduction of ethanol produced by bacteria is responsible for hepatic inflammation. Many approaches including probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, faecal microbiome transplantation and a fasting-mimicking diet have been applied to restore the gut microbiota for the improvement of NAFLD.
Pathways from parenting practices to adolescent suicidality: Evidence on the role of emotional and behavioral symptoms from a prospective cohort of Canadian children.

OBJECTIVE To investigate longitudinal relationships between parenting practices in childhood and adolescent suicidality, and assess the mediating role of emotional and behavioral symptoms. METHODS Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, a Canadian population-based longitudinal cohort study. The sample included 9,490 children aged 10-11 who were followed up biennially to ages 14-15. Parents reported their positive and punitive parenting practices when children were 10-11. Adolescents self-reported symptoms of depression/anxiety, hyperactivity, conduct disorder, and social aggression at 12-13, and past-year suicidal ideation and suicide attempts at 14-15. RESULTS The inverse associations between positive parenting at 10-11 and suicidal behaviors at 14-15 were significantly mediated by symptoms of hyperactivity, conduct disorder, and social aggression at 12-13. Direct relationships between punitive parenting and suicidal behaviors were observed. These associations were significantly mediated by hyperactivity and, among boys only, by conduct disorder and social aggression. The association between punitive parenting and suicide attempt was additionally mediated by depression/anxiety. CONCLUSIONS Parenting in childhood may be associated with adolescent suicidality both directly and indirectly through emotional and behavioral symptoms. Interventions aimed at reducing the use of harsh disciplinary strategies and promoting positive parent-child interactions may reduce the burden of adolescent suicidality.
A Web-Based Intervention to Prevent Multiple Chronic Disease Risk Factors Among Adolescents: Co-Design and User Testing of the Health4Life School-Based Program

Background Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Addressing key lifestyle risk factors during adolescence is critical for improving physical and mental health outcomes and reducing chronic disease risk. Schools are ideal intervention settings, and electronic health (eHealth) interventions afford several advantages, including increased student engagement, scalability, and sustainability. Although lifestyle risk behaviors tend to co-occur, few school-based eHealth interventions have targeted multiple behaviors concurrently. Objective This study aims to summarize the co-design and user testing of the Health4Life school-based program, a web-based cartoon intervention developed to concurrently prevent 6 key lifestyle risk factors for chronic disease among secondary school students: alcohol use, smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity, sedentary recreational screen time, and poor sleep (the Big 6). Methods The development of the Health4Life program was conducted over 18 months in collaboration with students, teachers, and researchers with expertise relevant to the Big 6. The iterative process involved (1) scoping of evidence and systematic literature review; (2) consultation with adolescents (N=815) via a cross-sectional web-based survey to identify knowledge gaps, attitudes, barriers, and facilitators in relation to the Big 6; (3) content and web development; and (4) user testing of the web-based program with students (n=41) and teachers (n=8) to evaluate its acceptability, relevance, and appeal to the target audience. Results The co-design process resulted in a six-module, evidence-informed program that uses interactive cartoon storylines and web-based delivery to engage students. Student and teacher feedback collected during user testing was positive in terms of acceptability and relevance. Commonly identified areas for improvement concerned the length of modules, age appropriateness of language and alcohol storyline, the need for character backstories and links to syllabus information, and feasibility of implementation. Modifications were made to address these issues. Conclusions The Health4Life school-based program is the first universal, web-based program to concurrently address 6 important chronic disease risk factors among secondary school students. By adopting a multiple health behavior change approach, it has the potential to efficiently modify the Big 6 risk factors within one program and to equip young people with the skills and knowledge needed to achieve and maintain good physical and mental health throughout adolescence and into adulthood.
Chemical analysis and antimicrobial activity of Teucrium polium L. essential oil from Western Algeria

The chemical composition of a yellow essential oil isolated from aerial parts by steam-distillation of Algerian Teucrium polium L. was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The oil was obtained with a yield of 0.21%. 27 components were identified. The major compounds were germacrene D (25.81%), bicyclogermacrene (13%), s-pinene (11.69%) and carvacrol (8.93%). Furthermore, the essential oil was tested against five bacteria (three Gram-positive and two Gramnegative) and three fungi at different concentrations. Results showed that the oil exhibited moderate inhibitory effects on Bacillus cereus , Enterococcus faecalis , Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus , with a minimum inhibitory concentrations of 3 to 5 µl/ml.
Tumor Control and Overall Survival after Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Pulmonary Oligometastases from Colorectal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Purpose In pulmonary oligometastases from colorectal cancer (POM-CRC), the primarily recommended local therapy is metastasectomy. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is another local therapy modality that is considered as an alternative option in patients who cannot undergo surgery. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to demonstrate the effects of SBRT on POM-CRC by integrating the relevant studies. Materials and Methods The authors explored MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and SCOPUS, and selected studies including patients treated with SBRT for POM-CRC and availability of local control (LC) or overall survival (OS) rate. In this meta-analysis, the effect of SBRT was presented in the form of the LC and OS rates for 1, 2, 3, and 5 years after SBRT as pooled estimates, and the frequency of pulmonary toxicity of grade 3 or higher after SBRT (PTG3-SBRT). Results Fourteen full texts among the searched 4,984 studies were the objects of this meta-analysis. The overall number of POM-CRC patients was 495 as per the integration of 14 studies. The pooled estimate LC rate at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years after SBRT was 81.0%, 71.5%, 56.0%, and 61.8%, and the OS rate was 86.9%, 70.1%, 57.9%, and 43.0%, respectively. The LC and OS rates gradually declined until 3 years after SBRT in a similar pattern. Among the 14 studies, only two studies reported PTG3-SBRT as 2.2% and 10.8%, respectively. Conclusion For POM-CRC, SBRT is an ablative therapy with a benefit on LC and OS rates and less adverse effects on the lung.
Extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma

Extranodal natural killer (NK)/T cell lymphoma (ENKTL) is a distinct subtype of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma mainly involving the nasal area. Since the entity was first recognized, treatment strategies have been evolving from anthracycline-based chemotherapy and radiotherapy to L-asparaginase containing regimens and recently immune checkpoint inhibitors. With the currently used combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy, more than 70% of patients with localized disease can be cured. L-asparaginase containing regimens have significantly improved treatment outcomes among patients with advanced disease. However, the treatment outcomes of patients with disease refractory to L-asparaginase containing regimens or who experience recurrence remain poor. In this article, we cover the current treatments for ENKTL and emerging treatment approaches.
Do hypnotics increase the risk of driving accidents or near miss accidents due to hypovigilance? The effects of sex, chronic sleepiness, sleep habits and sleep pathology

Driving accidents due to hypovigilance are common but the role of hypnotics is unclear in patients suffering from sleep disorders. Our study examined factors influencing accidents and near miss accidents attributed to sleepiness at the wheel (ANMAS). Using data from an online questionnaire aimed at patients with sleep disorders, we analysed the associations between ANMAS, sociodemographic data, symptoms of sleep disorders, severity of insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)) symptoms of anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale with depression (HADD) and anxiety (HADA) subscales), chronic sleepiness (Epworth sleepiness scale ESS), hypnotic use and information about sleep habits. Hypnotics were hierarchically grouped into Z-drugs, sedative medication, melatonin and over the counter (OTC) alternative treatments. Of 10802 participants; 9.1% reported ANMAS (Men 11.1% women 8.3%) and 24.4% took hypnotics (Z-drugs 8.5%, sedative medication 8%, melatonin 5.6% and alternative treatments 2.5%). Logistic regression analysis identified the following risk factors for ANMAS: moderate (OR 2.4; CI: 2.10–2.79) and severe sleepiness (ESS OR 5.66; CI: 4.74–6.77), depression (HADD OR 1.2; CI: 1.03–1.47), anxiety (HADA OR 1.2;CI: 1.01–1.47), and insufficient sleep (OR1.4; CI: 1.2–1.7). Hypnotics were not associated with an increased risk of ANMAS in patients suffering from insomnia. Risk factors varied according to sex: in females, sex (OR 0.; CI: 0.55–0.74), mild insomnia (OR 0.5; CI: 0.3–0.8) and use of alternative treatments (OR 0.455, CI:0.23–0.89) were protective factors and risk was increased by sleepiness, sleep debt, social jetlag, caffeine use, anxiety and depression. In men no protective factors were identified: sleepiness, sleep debt, and severe insomnia were associated with an increased risk of ANMAS. In clinical practice, all patients with daytime sleepiness and men with severe insomnia should be counselled concerning driving risk and encouraged to avoid sleep debt.
Nationwide Circumcision Trends: 2003-2016.

OBJECTIVE Among some populations, access to neonatal circumcision has become increasingly limited despite evidence of its benefits. This study examines national neonatal circumcision trends before and after the 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation for neonatal circumcision reimbursement. METHODS A retrospective cohort study of boys aged ≤28 days was conducted using data from the Kids' Inpatient Database (2003-2016). Boys who underwent neonatal circumcision prior to discharge were compared to boys who did not. Boys with coagulopathies, penile anomalies, or a history of prematurity were excluded. RESULTS An estimated 8,038,289 boys comprised the final cohort. Boys were primarily white (53.7%), privately insured (49.1%), and cared for at large (60.8%) teaching (49.4%) hospitals in metropolitan areas (84.1%). While 55.0% underwent circumcision prior to discharge, neonatal circumcision rates decreased significantly over time (p<0.0001). Black (68.0%) or white (66.0%) boys, boys in the highest income quartile (60.7%), and Midwestern boys (75.0%) were most likely to be circumcised. Neonatal circumcision was significantly more common among privately (64.9%) than publicly (44.6%) insured boys after controlling for demographics, region, hospital characteristics, and year (p<0.0001). The odds of circumcision over time was not significantly different in the years before versus after 2012 (p=0.28). CONCLUSIONS Among approximately 8 million boys sampled over a 13-year period, 55.0% underwent neonatal circumcision. The rate of neonatal circumcision varied widely by region, race, and socioeconomic status. The finding that boys with public insurance have lower circumcision rates in all years may be related to lack of circumcision access for boys with public insurance.
The 8th Symposium on Global Cancer Research: Recognizing Creativity and Collaboration to Support Global Cancer Research and Control

The global burden of cancer continues to rise, with the number of new cases expected to grow from 18.1 million to 24.9 million by 2040. Although cancer presents a global challenge, lowand middle-income countries (LMICs) disproportionately shoulder the burden. It is estimated that more than 70% of cancer cases occur in LMICs, yet these countries receive only 5% of the global share of resources for cancer care and control.
Phenological characters and genetic divergence in aromatic rices

Phenological properties of rice cultivars determine their yield potential, local agronomic suitability and ability to escape from drought and natural calamities. This study was conducted to assess the genetic diversity of aromatic rice genotypes on the basis of phenological characters. 40 genotypes composed of 32 local aromatic, 5 exotic aromatic and three non-aromatic rice cultivars were used in the experiment. Multivariate analysis grouped the genotypes into 6 clusters. In discriminant function analysis (DFA) function 1 and function 2 together absorbed 99.9% of total dispersion. The most contributing characters participated in the clustering were growth duration, flowering duration, basic vegetative phase (BVP) and relative photoperiod sensitivity. Inter-cluster D2 value was the maximum between cluster i and iii and minimum was found between ii and iv. Cluster i and ii possessed the majority of genotypes having shorter BVP and strong photoperiod sensitivity. Therefore these genotypes can be used in the objective type of breeding programme and also for successful crop production in the post flood situation especially in the disaster-prone countries of south Asia.
Interactions Between the Pharyngeal Jaw Apparatus, Feeding Behaviour, and Ontogeny in the Cichlid Fish, Haplochromis piceatus: A Study of Morphological Constraints in Evolutionary Ecology

I found evidence of a morphological constraint on the food choice of young stages of a cichlid fish. The constraint is not a developmental one because it is not imposed by developmental changes. I found no evidence of developmental constraints. In gradual transitions developmental constraints may be rare, in contrast to their regular occurrence in sudden transitions. I suggest that flexible muscle activation and reserve capacity (structural capacity in excess of functional demand) provide organisms with mechanisms that buffer against the effects of form changes and as such facilitate ontogenetic and evolutionary changes. A mathematical model for piercing prey in the pharyngeal jaws is applied to a juvenile cichlid fish. The maximum possible biting forces and the best biting directions were calculated. Piercing forces were measured that were generated when natural prey were pierced. The results were compared with the feeding behaviour in the laboratory and in the field and with results from an adult. The model predicts great flexibility of the pharyngeal jaw apparatus. Furthermore, the model predicts that a shift in biting point, prey size, or predator size leads to changes in muscle recruitment. The m.transversus ventralis is predicted to play an important role in pharyngeal biting. The model explains why large fish can easily pierce Chaoborus larvae and pupae, whereas a fish of 2.5 cm is just able to pierce larvae (symmorphosis) and is unable to pierce pupae. The inability of small fish to pierce pupae is due to a morphological constraint. This constraint is imposed by the size of the cross-sectional areas of the muscles that generate the biting force. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Effects of dietary methionine on growth performance, muscle nutritive deposition, muscle fibre growth and type I collagen synthesis of on-growing grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

Abstract In the current research, a 60-d experiment was conducted with the purpose of exploring the impacts of methionine (Met) on growth performance, muscle nutritive deposition, muscle fibre growth and type I collagen synthesis as well as the related signalling pathway. Six diets (iso-nitrogenous) differing in Met concentrations (2·54, 4·85, 7·43, 10·12, 12·40 and 15·11 g/kg diets) were fed to 540 grass carp (178·47 (SD 0·36) g). Results showed (P < 0·05) that compared with Met deficiency, optimal level of dietary Met (1) increased feed intake, feed efficiency, specific growth rate and percentage weight gain (PWG); (2) increased fish muscle protein, lipid and free amino acid contents and improved fish muscle fatty acid profile as well as increased protein content in part associated with the target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1)/S6K1 signalling pathway; (3) increased the frequency distribution of muscle fibre with >50 µm of diameter; (4) increased type I collagen synthesis partly related to the transforming growth factor-β1/Smads and CK2/TORC1 signalling pathways. In conclusion, dietary Met improved muscle growth, which might be due to the regulation of muscle nutritive deposition, muscle fibre growth and type I collagen synthesis-related signal molecules. Finally, according to PWG and muscle collagen content, the Met requirements for on-growing grass carp (178–626 g) were estimated to be 9·56 g/kg diet (33·26 g/kg protein of diet) and 9·28 g/kg diet (32·29 g/kg of dietary protein), respectively.
Effect of Low-dose and Standard-dose Aspirin on PGE2 Biosynthesis Among Individuals with Colorectal Adenomas: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Low-dose aspirin is recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force for primary prevention of colorectal cancer in certain individuals. However, broader implementation will require improved precision prevention approaches to identify those most likely to benefit. The major urinary metabolite of PGE2, 11α-hydroxy-9,15-dioxo-2,3,4,5-tetranor-prostane-1,20-dioic acid (PGE-M), is a biomarker for colorectal cancer risk, but it is unknown whether PGE-M is modifiable by aspirin in individuals at risk for colorectal cancer. Adults (N = 180) who recently underwent adenoma resection and did not regularly use aspirin or NSAIDs were recruited to a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of aspirin at 81 or 325 mg/day for 8–12 weeks. The primary outcome was postintervention change in urinary PGE-M as measured by LC/MS. A total of 169 participants provided paired urine samples for analysis. Baseline PGE-M excretion was 15.9 ± 14.6 (mean ± S.D, ng/mg creatinine). Aspirin significantly reduced PGE-M excretion (−4.7 ± 14.8) compared with no decrease (0.8 ± 11.8) in the placebo group (P = 0.015; mean duration of treatment = 68.9 days). Aspirin significantly reduced PGE-M levels in participants receiving either 81 (−15%; P = 0.018) or 325 mg/day (−28%; P < 0.0001) compared with placebo. In 40% and 50% of the individuals randomized to 81 or 325 mg/day aspirin, respectively, PGE-M reduction reached a threshold expected to prevent recurrence in 10% of individuals. These results support that aspirin significantly reduces elevated levels of PGE-M in those at increased colorectal cancer risk to levels consistent with lower risk for recurrent neoplasia and underscore the potential utility of PGE-M as a precision chemoprevention biomarker. The ASPIRED trial is registered as NCT02394769.
Vehicle Velocity Prediction and Energy Management Strategy Part 1: Deterministic and Stochastic Vehicle Velocity Prediction Using Machine Learning

T here is a pressing need to develop accurate and robust approaches for predicting vehicle speed to enhance fuel economy/energy efficiency, drivability and safety of automotive vehicles. This paper details outcomes of research into various methods for the prediction of vehicle velocity. The focus is on short-term predictions over 1 to 10 second prediction horizon. Such short-term predictions can be integrated into a hybrid electric vehicle energy management strategy and have the potential to improve HEV energy efficiency. Several deterministic and stochastic models are considered in this paper for prediction of future vehicle velocity. Deterministic models include an Auto-Regressive Moving Average (ARMA) model, a Nonlinear Auto-Regressive with eXternal input (NARX) shallow neural network and a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) deep neural network. Stochastic models include a Markov Chain (MC) model and a Conditional Linear Gaussian (CLG) model. To derive the prediction models, numerous data inputs are used, including internal vehicle data (CAN bus information) and external vehicle data (radar and V2I information). Two data sets representative of real world driving in Ann Arbor, Michigan are used for model development and validation. One of these data sets reflects highway-focused single-car driving, and the other one is representative of a mixed highway/urban three-car connected driving. Time shift, a novel index which reflects the time lag between predicted and actual vehicle speed values, is introduced to assess the prediction accuracy of vehicle velocity. Also, a more standard Mean Absolute Error (MAE) metric is used to evaluate the prediction results. In order to improve the vehicle speed prediction accuracy, data augmentation with additional labels is used to cue machine learners on different features present in the driving trajectories. The results show that these artificially augmented labels can significantly improve the prediction accuracy both in terms of MAE and time shift metrics. The results also indicate that deterministic models can provide more accurate performance on average while stochastic models may be less accurate in terms of the average velocity prediction but provide information on the prediction error distribution which can be exploited in stochastic and scenario based model predictive control.