Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection of low levels of genotoxic compounds in food contact materials using an alternative HPTLC-SOS-Umu-C assay.

Food contact materials (FCMs) are perceived as major sources of chemical food contamination, bringing significant safety uncertainties into the food chain. Consequently, there has been an increasing demand to improve hazard and risk assessment of FCMs. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) coupled to a genotoxicity bioassay has been promoted as alternative approach to assess food packaging migrates. To investigate the value of such a testing approach, a sensitive planar SOS-Umu-C assay has been developed using the Salmonella strain. The new conditions established based on HPTLC were verified by comparison with microtiter plate assays, the Ames and Salmonella-SOS-Umu-C assays. The lowest effective concentration of the genotoxin 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (0.53 nM; 20 pg/band) was 176 times more sensitive than the microtiter plate counterpart. This was achieved by the developed chromatographic setup, including a fluorogenic instead of chromogenic substrate. As proof-of-principle, FCM extracts and migrates from differently coated tin cans were analyzed. The performance data highlighted reliable dose-response curves, good mean reproducibilities, no quenching or other matrix effects, no solvent exposure limitations and no need for a solid phase extraction or concentration step due to high sensitivity in the picomolar range. Even though, further performance developments of the assay are still needed, the developed planar assay was successfully proven to work quantitatively in the food packaging field.
Postoperative Work and Activity Restrictions After Abdominal Surgery

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Objective: This systematic review aims to assess what is known about convalescence following abdominal surgery. Through a review of the basic science and clinical literature, we explored the effect of physical activity on the healing fascia and the optimal timing for postoperative activity. Background: Abdominal surgery confers a 30% risk of incisional hernia development. To mitigate this, surgeons often impose postoperative activity restrictions. However, it is unclear whether this is effective or potentially harmful in preventing hernias. Methods: We conducted 2 separate systematic reviews using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The first assessed available basic science literature on fascial healing. The second assessed available clinical literature on activity after abdominal surgery. Results: Seven articles met inclusion criteria for the basic science review and 22 for the clinical studies review. The basic science data demonstrated variability in maximal tensile strength and time for fascial healing, in part due to differences in layer of abdominal wall measured. Some animal studies indicated a positive effect of physical activity on the healing wound. Most clinical studies were qualitative, with only 3 randomized controlled trials on this topic. Variability was reported on clinician recommendations, time to return to activity, and factors that influence return to activity. Interventions designed to shorten convalescence demonstrated improvements only in patient-reported symptoms. None reported an association between activity and complications, such as incisional hernia. Conclusions: This systematic review identified gaps in our understanding of what is best for patients recovering from abdominal surgery. Randomized controlled trials are crucial in safely optimizing the recovery period.
Laboratory Automation in the Microbiology Laboratory: an Ongoing Journey, Not a Tale?

Clinical chemistry laboratories implemented fully automated devices decades before microbiologists started their subtle approaches to follow. Meanwhile several papers have been published about reduced time to reports, faster workflows, and increased sensitivity as results of lab automation. ABSTRACT Clinical chemistry laboratories implemented fully automated devices decades before microbiologists started their subtle approaches to follow. Meanwhile several papers have been published about reduced time to reports, faster workflows, and increased sensitivity as results of lab automation. While the journey of automating microbiology workflows step by step was fascinating and beneficial, monetary aspects were uncommon in most publications. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, K. Culbreath, H. Piwonka, J. Korver, and M. Noorbakhsh (J Clin Microbiol 59:e01969-20, https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01969-20) calculate the benefits of total lab automation in terms of cost savings and lab efficiency in a “tale of four laboratories. ” The authors here provide facts and solid calculations about the benefits achieved in four different-sized labs after implementation of full laboratory automation.
Health-Related Quality of Life Among Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The aim of this study is to compare health-related quality of life between inflammatory bowel disease patients and age-/gender-matched controls while taking into account comorbid conditions (such as diabetes and heart disease). Data from the 2015 and 2016 National Health Interview Survey were used. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (n = 951) were age- and gender-matched to noninflammatory bowel disease patients (n = 3,804). Patients with inflammatory bowel disease were more likely to be diagnosed with an airway disease (p < .000), heart disease (p < .000), or stomach cancer (p < .001) than age- and gender-matched individuals without inflammatory bowel disease. Even after controlling for these comorbidities, sociodemographic characteristics as well as health-related behaviors, patients with inflammatory bowel disease had significantly lower health-related quality of life than individuals of the same age and gender. Inflammatory bowel disease appears to be associated with particularly low levels of health-related quality of life. Alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity, and body mass index may be risk factors for a decreased health-related quality of life.
Association of ACEI/ARB, inflammatory cytokines, and antiviral drugs with liver dysfunction in patients with hypertension and COVID-19

ABSTRACT Background: Currently, SARS-CoV-2 liver invasion, inflammatory cytokines, and antiviral drugs are widely thought to be associated with liver dysfunction in COVID-19 patients. Besides, previous studies indicated that ACEI/ARB drugs can increase the expression of hepatic ACE2, a cell entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2. This study aims to investigate whether ACEI/ARB aggravates liver injury and the association of inflammatory cytokines and antiviral drugs with liver dysfunction in patients with hypertension and COVID-19.Method: This retrospective study included 127 hypertensive patients with long-term use or nonuse of ACEI/ARBs hospitalized for COVID-19 from January 30 to April 7, 2020, in Tongji hospital of Wuhan, China. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, treatment, and outcome data were collected.Results: Of the 127 patients with COVID-19 and hypertension, 43 taking long-term of ACEI/ARBs and 84 without using ACEI/ARBs. Abnormal liver function was observed in part of ACEI/ARB and non-ACEI/ARB users but without significant differences between these two groups. Serum inflammatory cytokines, IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα, as well as inflammation-related markers, ferritin, procalcitonin, and C-reactive protein, were significantly elevated in patients with liver dysfunction. IL-6 level was positively correlated with liver function tests on admission and highly consistent with the changes of abnormal ALT, AST, and GGT during hospitalization, but the correlations of other inflammatory cytokines were low. There was no significant association between the use of antiviral drugs and liver dysfunction in these patients.Conclusion: The elevation of inflammatory cytokine, IL-6, but not ACEI/ARB and antiviral drugs, is closely associated with liver dysfunction in patients with hypertension and COVID-19.
The acute effect of high‐ and moderate‐intensity interval exercise on vascular function before and after a glucose challenge in adolescents

What is the central question of this study? What is the effect of high‐intensity and moderate‐intensity interval running on macro‐ and microvascular function in a fasted state and following a glucose challenge in adolescents? What is the main finding and its importance? Both macro‐ and microvascular function were improved after interval running independent of intensity. This finding shows that the intermittent exercise pattern and its associated effect on shear are important for vascular benefits. In adolescents, macrovascular function was enhanced after an acute glucose load. However, the effect of chronic glucose consumption on vascular function remains to be elucidated.
Two unique prophages of "Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus" strains from Pakistan.

"Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus" (CLas) is a pathogen causing Huanglongbing (HLB, yellow shoot disease), which is highly destructive to citrus production. The CLas strains harbor prophages. We identified two unique prophages, designated as P-PA19-1 and P-PA19-2, in CLas strain PA19 from Pakistan using next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis. P-PA19-1 prophage has high sequence similarity (Identity: 78.23%) at the early-gene region of prophage SC1 (Type 1) but it is significantly divergent in the late-gene region (Identity: 62.03%). P-PA19-2 was highly similar to SC2 (Type 2) in the late gene region (Identity: 97.96%), and also in the early gene region except for a deletion of a 7,179 bp nucleotide sequence that contains a CRISPR/cas system in SC2. Both P-PA19-1 and P-PA19-2 had circular plasmid forms, and only P-PA19-2 was found integrated in the PA19 chromosome. The two new prophages were only found in Pakistani samples. Identification of prophages enhances our understanding of CLas genomic diversity and also the biology and evolution of CLas prophages.
Effect of angiotensin receptor blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme 2 on plasma equilibrium angiotensin peptide concentrations in dogs with heart disease

Abstract Background The pathophysiology of heart failure involves maladaptive angiotensin peptides (APs) and enzymes, including angiotensin 2 (AT2) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), as well as recently described alternative components, such as angiotensin 1‐7 (Ang1‐7) and angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The relative effects of different neurohormonal‐targeting drugs on balance of APs in dogs with heart disease are unknown. Hypothesis/Objectives Plasma AP concentrations differ in dogs receiving angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) vs angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and recombinant human ACE2 (rhACE2) will further increase these differences. Animals Eight dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD). Methods Prospective open‐label trial. Equilibrium concentrations of APs from plasma during PO ACEI treatment and then after 14 days of PO ARB treatment using telmisartan were measured using liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectroscopy before and after in vitro incubation with rhACE2. Results Concentration of Ang1‐7 was increased during ARB treatment (Ang1‐7: 443 pg/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 247‐794 pg/mL) vs ACEI (Ang1‐7: 182 pg/mL; 95% CI = 66.2‐503 pg/mL; P = .01). Incubation with rhACE2 decreased traditional APs while increasing beneficial alternative APs, and Ang1‐7 was significantly higher in the ARB + rhACE2 (880 pg/mL; 95% CI = 560‐1383 pg/mL) vs ACEI + rhACE2 (455 pg/mL; 95% CI = 188‐1104 pg/mL; P = .03) group. The most favorable theoretical AP profile was achieved in the ARB + rhACE2 group. Conclusions and Clinical Importance The AP profile during telmisartan treatment is associated with higher plasma Ang1‐7 as compared with during ACEI. This favorable shift is potentiated in vitro by combination of ARB + rhACE2. These data support potential AP‐targeting strategies and drugs in dogs with DMVD.
Weight gain associated with insulin detemir vs insulin glargine in clinical practice: A retrospective longitudinal cohort study.

PURPOSE In comparative randomized studies, use of insulin detemir has been consistently demonstrated to be associated with less weight gain than the industry standard, insulin glargine. However, the magnitude of the relative reduction in weight gain with use of insulin determir vs insulin glargine in regulatory studies (reported values ranged from 0.77 kg to 3.6 kg) may not be generalizable to patients in real-world practice conditions. A study was conducted to substantiate detemir's purported weight-sparing advantage over insulin glargine in newly treated patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus under the conditions found in a clinical practice setting. METHODS A retrospective longitudinal cohort study design was applied in reviewing electronic medical records to identify insulin-naive, overweight patients with type 2 diabetes who received insulin detemir or insulin glargine therapy continued for up to 1 year. Patient weights at baseline and at each subsequent clinic visit after treatment initiation were identified. The primary outcome was the maximum weight increase from baseline after exposure to insulin detemir or glargine. The difference-in-differences (DiD) mean total body weight change was tested by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). RESULTS One hundred nine patient records (56 of patients who received insulin glargine and 53 of patients who received insulin detemir) met study criteria and underwent full abstraction. The covariate-adjusted estimated mean change in body weight associated with use of insulin detemir vs insulin glargine was -1.5 kg (95% CI, -2.89 to -0.12 kg; P = 0.04). CONCLUSION The mean weight gain associated with detemir use was significantly less than the mean weight change observed with glargine use. The magnitude of weight change was consistent with that demonstrated in randomized controlled trials. These results further substantiate detemir's purported comparative weight-sparing properties under conditions found in a real-world practice setting.
Do We See Masculine Faces as Competent and Feminine Faces as Warm? Effects of Sexual Dimorphism on Facial Perception

Previous research on non-facial features demonstrated that masculinity and femininity correlated highly with perceived competence and warmth, respectively. Several studies focused on dimorphic facial cues and found an association between masculine faces and competence. However, there’s no study exploring the association between facial dimorphism and social judgment both using explicit and implicit experimental paradigms, i.e. Triad Classification Task, Implicit Associate Task. This study examined the association of masculinity/femininity and competence/warmth via explicit and implicit measures in three experiments. The results showed that participants saw feminine/masculine faces as more consistent with warmth/competence for both male and female faces. Besides, it was found that the above associations were more obvious in female participants. The current studies extended research of effects of dimorphic facial cue in social judgment and provided direct evidence linking facial masculinity with perceived competence, and facial femininity with perceived warmth.
The dynamic process of ambiguous emotion perception

ABSTRACT Everyday social interactions hinge on our ability to resolve uncertainty in nonverbal cues. For example, although some facial expressions (e.g. happy, angry) convey a clear affective meaning, others (e.g. surprise) are ambiguous, in that their meaning is determined by the context. Here, we used mouse-tracking to examine the underlying process of resolving uncertainty. Previous work has suggested an initial negativity, in part via faster response times for negative than positive ratings of surprise. We examined valence categorizations of filtered images in order to compare faster (low spatial frequencies; LSF) versus more deliberate processing (high spatial frequencies; HSF). When participants categorised faces as “positive”, they first exhibited a partial attraction toward the competing (“negative”) response option, and this effect was exacerbated for HSF than LSF faces. Thus, the effect of response conflict due to an initial negativity bias was exaggerated for HSF faces, likely because these images allow for greater deliberation than the LSFs. These results are consistent with the notion that more positive categorizations are characterised by an initial attraction to a default, negative response.
Clinical characteristics of paediatric autoimmune hepatitis at a referral hospital in Sub Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a progressive inflammatory liver disease of unknown aetiology. The number of reported AIH cases is increasing in the developed countries but the same cannot be said about sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Paediatric AIH diagnosis is usually missed and patients present with decompensated liver disease. Our study highlights the clinical profile of paediatric AIH cases at a referral hospital in Ghana. METHODS This is a retrospective review of all cases of children diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis at the gastroenterology clinic in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana. Data was extracted from the patients' records from April 2016 to October 2019. These children were diagnosed based on the presence of autoantibodies, elevated immunoglobulin G and histologic presence of interphase hepatitis with the exclusion of hepatitis A, B, C and E depending on their clinical presentation, Wilson's disease, HIV, Schistosomiasis and sickle cell disease. RESULTS Thirteen patients aged between 5 years to 13 years with a mean age of 10 years were diagnosed with AIH. All the patients had type 1 AIH with majority 8 (61.5%) being females. Most of the children presented with advanced liver disease with complications. Three patients had other associated autoimmune diseases. The patients were treated with prednisolone with or without azathioprine depending on the severity of the liver disease. CONCLUSION Majority of paediatric AIH presents with advanced liver disease. There is the need for early detection to change the natural history of AIH in SSA.
Natural selection mediated by seasonal time constraints increases the alignment between evolvability and developmental plasticity

Phenotypic plasticity can either hinder or promote adaptation to novel environments. Recent studies that have quantified alignments between plasticity, genetic variation, and divergence propose that such alignments may reflect constraints that bias future evolutionary trajectories. Here, we emphasize that such alignments may themselves be a result of natural selection and do not necessarily indicate constraints on adaptation. We estimated developmental plasticity and broad sense genetic covariance matrices (G) among damselfly populations situated along a latitudinal gradient in Europe. Damselflies were reared at photoperiod treatments that simulated the seasonal time constraints experienced at northern (strong constraints) and southern (relaxed constraints) latitudes. This allowed us to partition the effects of (1) latitude, (2) photoperiod, and (3) environmental novelty on G and its putative alignment with adaptive plasticity and divergence. Environmental novelty and latitude did not affect G, but photoperiod did. Photoperiod increased evolvability in the direction of observed adaptive divergence and developmental plasticity when G was assessed under strong seasonal time constraints at northern (relative to southern) photoperiod. Because selection and adaptation under time constraints is well understood in Lestes damselflies, our results suggest that natural selection can shape the alignment between divergence, plasticity, and evolvability.
Collagen Cross‐Linking Is Associated With Cardiac Remodeling in Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy

Background Collagen cross‐linking is covalent bonds among collagen fibers from catalysis of lysyl oxidase (LOX) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs). We aimed to evaluate the formation of enzymatic and nonenzymatic collagen cross‐linking and its clinical significance in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. Methods and Results Forty‐four patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy who underwent surgical myectomy were consecutively enrolled. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance parameters of left atrial/left ventricular function were measured, including peak filling rate (PFR) and early peak emptying rate (PER‐E). Total collagen was the sum of soluble and insoluble collagen, which were assessed by collagen assay. The myocardial LOX and AGEs expression were measured by molecular and biochemical methods. Compared with patients without atrial fibrillation, insoluble collagen (P=0.018), insoluble collagen fraction (P=0.017), and AGEs (P=0.039) were higher in patients with atrial fibrillation, whereas LOX expression was similar (P=0.494). The insoluble collagen fraction was correlated with PFR index (PFR normalized by left ventricular filling volume) (r=−0.44, P=0.005), left atrial diameters (r=0.36, P=0.021) and PER‐E index (PER‐E normalized by left ventricular filling volume) (r=−0.49, P=0.001). Myocardial LOX was positively correlated with total collagen (r=0.37, P=0.025) and insoluble collagen fraction (r=0.53, P < 0.001), but inversely correlated with PFR index (r=−0.43, P=0.006) and PER‐E index (r=−0.35, P=0.027). In multiple regression analysis, myocardial LOX was independently associated with PFR, while insoluble collagen fraction showed independent correlation with PER‐E after adjustment for clinical confounders. Conclusions Collagen cross‐linking plays an important role on heart remodeling in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. Myocardial LOX expression is independently correlated with left ventricular stiffness, while accumulation of AGEs cross‐links might be associated with the occurrence of atrial fibrillation in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
Endocytosis of the glutamate transporter 1 is regulated by laforin and malin: Implications in Lafora disease

Lafora disease (LD) is a fatal rare type of progressive myoclonus epilepsy that appears during early adolescence. The disease is caused by mutations in EPM2A or EPM2B genes, which encode laforin, a glucan phosphatase, and malin, an E3‐ubiquitin ligase, respectively. Although the exact roles of laforin and malin are still not well understood, it is known that they work as a complex in which laforin recruits targets that will be ubiquitinated by malin. Recently, we suggested that the type of epilepsy that accompanies LD could be due to deficiencies in the function of the astrocytic glutamate transporter GLT‐1. We described that astrocytes from LD mouse models presented decreased levels of GLT‐1 at the plasma membrane, leading to increased levels of glutamate in the brain parenchyma. In this work, we present evidence indicating that in the absence of a functional laforin/malin complex (as in LD cellular models) there is an alteration in the ubiquitination of GLT‐1, which could be the cause of the reduction in the levels of GLT‐1 at the plasma membrane. On the contrary, overexpression of the laforin/malin complex promotes the retention of GLT‐1 at the plasma membrane. This retention may be due to the direct ubiquitination of GLT‐1 and/or to an opposite effect of this complex on the dynamics of the Nedd4.2‐mediated endocytosis of the transporter. This work, therefore, presents new pieces of evidence on the regulation of GLT‐1 by the laforin/malin complex, highlighting its value as a therapeutic target for the amelioration of the type of epilepsy that accompanies LD.