Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction on the Physicochemical Properties of Different Walnut Proteins

The effects of ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE, 200 W, 20 min) on the yield and physicochemical properties of different walnut proteins (WNPs, including albumin, globulin, and glutelin) were investigated. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis indicated that UAE could result in protein molecular fragmentation of albumin, but did not affect the major bands of globulin and glutelin. The CD spectra demonstrated that different WNPs obtained by UAE had different changes in their secondary structure. Under UAE, there was an increase in surface hydrophobicity (H0) of albumin and gluten and no change in the fluorescence intensity, while decreases were observed in the H0 and fluorescence intensity of globulin; and the contents of total and surface free sulfhydryl in albumin dramatically decreased. UAE reduced the size of the particles and the dimension of the microstructures in albumin and gluten, indicating that ultrasound could unfold protein aggregates. In addition, UAE increased the solubility, emulsifying activity (EA), foaming capacity (FC), and foam stability (FS) of the obtained proteins. The above results indicate that ultrasound extraction is a promising approach to improve the extraction yield and properties of walnut proteins.
Automated Gleason Scoring and Tumor Quantification in Prostate Core Needle Biopsy Images Using Deep Neural Networks and Its Comparison with Pathologist-Based Assessment

The Gleason grading system, currently the most powerful prognostic predictor of prostate cancer, is based solely on the tumor’s histological architecture and has high inter-observer variability. We propose an automated Gleason scoring system based on deep neural networks for diagnosis of prostate core needle biopsy samples. To verify its efficacy, the system was trained using 1133 cases of prostate core needle biopsy samples and validated on 700 cases. Further, system-based diagnosis results were compared with reference standards derived from three certified pathologists. In addition, the system’s ability to quantify cancer in terms of tumor length was also evaluated via comparison with pathologist-based measurements. The results showed a substantial diagnostic concordance between the system-grade group classification and the reference standard (0.907 quadratic-weighted Cohen’s kappa coefficient). The system tumor length measurements were also notably closer to the reference standard (correlation coefficient, R = 0.97) than the original hospital diagnoses (R = 0.90). We expect this system to assist pathologists to reduce the probability of over- or under-diagnosis by providing pathologist-level second opinions on the Gleason score when diagnosing prostate biopsy, and to support research on prostate cancer treatment and prognosis by providing reproducible diagnosis based on the consistent standards.
Prevalence of the Mutations Responsible for Glanzmann Thrombasthenia in Horses in Brazil

Simple Summary Hereditary bleeding disorders occur in different species due to mutations in genes coding specific hemostatic proteins leading to alterations in their synthesis, or to the production of non-functional proteins which leads to impairment of hemostasis. Some of these disorders have been described in horses, i.e., Von Willebrand disease (VWD), hemophilia A, and Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia (GT). GT is an inherited disease characterized by hemorrhage and has been described in different species including horses of varied breeds (Thoroughbred, Standardbred, Oldenburg, Peruvian Paso, and Quarter Horse). There are two different mutations described in horses a single guanine to cytosine substitution (CGG for CCG) and a 10 base pair deletion in the ITGA2B gene. Abstract Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia (GT) is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder characterized by changes in platelet aggregation, leading to hemorrhage and epistaxis. To date, two independent mutations have been described in horses and associated with this disorder, a point mutation (c.122G > C) and a 10-base-pair deletion (g.1456_1466del) in the Integrin subunit alpha2β gene (ITGA2B) of horses of different breeds (Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, Oldenburg, and Peruvian Paso). ITGA2B codifies the αIIb subunit of the αIIbβ3 integrin, also termed platelet fibrinogen receptor. Horses with GT have been diagnosed in the USA, Canada, Japan, and Australia. However, there are no studies on the prevalence of GT in horses. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of the mutations responsible for GT in horses in Brazil. A total of 1053 DNA samples of clinically healthy Quarter Horse (n = 679) and Warmblood horses (n = 374) were used. DNA fragments were amplified by PCR and sequenced. The genotype of each animal was analyzed and compared to the nucleotide sequence of the ITGA2B gene found on GenBankTM. There were no carriers in the analyzed samples, that is, all animals tested were wild type. Therefore, under the conditions in which this study was carried out, it can be inferred that GT seems to be extremely rare in the population of Quarter Horses and Warmbloods in Brazil, although it is not possible to affirm that there are no horses carrying mutated alleles in Brazil.
Analysis of the Indole Diterpene Gene Cluster for Biosynthesis of the Epoxy-Janthitrems in Epichloë Endophytes

Epoxy-janthitrems are a class of indole diterpenes with structural similarity to lolitrem B. Two taxa of asexual Epichloë endophytes have been reported to produce epoxy-janthitrems, LpTG-3 (Lolium perenne Taxonomic Group 3; e.g., NEA12) and LpTG-4 (e.g., E1). Epichloë epoxy-janthitrems are not well understood, the biosynthetic pathway and associated gene complement have not been described and while the literature suggests they are associated with superior protection against pasture insect pests and are tremorgenic in grazing mammals, these properties have not been confirmed using isolated and purified compounds. Whole genome sequence analysis was used to identify candidate genes for epoxy-janthitrem biosynthesis that are unique to epoxy-janthitrem producing strains of Epichloë. A gene, jtmD, was identified with homology to aromatic prenyl transferases involved in synthesis of indole diterpenes. The location of the epoxy-janthitrem biosynthesis gene cluster (JTM locus) was determined in the assembled nuclear genomes of NEA12 and E1. The JTM locus contains cluster 1 and cluster 2 of the lolitrem B biosynthesis gene cluster (LTM locus), as well as four genes jtmD, jtmO, jtm01, and jtm02 that are unique to Epichloë spp. that produce epoxy-janthitrems. Expression of each of the genes identified was confirmed using transcriptome analysis of perennial ryegrass-NEA12 and perennial ryegrass-E1 symbiota. Sequence analysis confirmed the genes are functionally similar to those involved in biosynthesis of related indole diterpene compounds. RNAi silencing of jtmD and in planta assessment in host-endophyte associations confirms the role of jtmD in epoxy-janthitrem production. Using LCMS/MS technologies, a biosynthetic pathway for the production of epoxy-janthitrems I–IV in Epichloë endophytes is proposed.
Posttraumatic stress disorder and changes in diet quality over 20 years among US women

Abstract Background Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at increased risk of various chronic diseases. One hypothesized pathway is via changes in diet quality. This study evaluated whether PTSD was associated with deterioration in diet quality over time. Methods Data were from 51 965 women in the Nurses' Health Study II PTSD sub-study followed over 20 years. Diet, assessed at 4-year intervals, was characterized via the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI). Based on information from the Brief Trauma Questionnaire and Short Screening Scale for DSM-IV PTSD, trauma/PTSD status was classified as no trauma exposure, prevalent exposure (trauma/PTSD onset before study entry), or new-onset (trauma/PTSD onset during follow-up). We further categorized women with prevalent exposure as having trauma with no PTSD symptoms, trauma with low PTSD symptoms, and trauma with high PTSD symptoms, and created similar categories for women with new-onset exposure, resulting in seven comparison groups. Multivariable linear mixed-effects spline models tested differences in diet quality changes by trauma/PTSD status over follow-up. Results Overall, diet quality improved over time regardless of PTSD status. In age-adjusted models, compared to those with no trauma, women with prevalent high PTSD and women with new-onset high PTSD symptoms had 3.3% and 3.6% lower improvement in diet quality, respectively, during follow-up. Associations remained consistent after adjusting for health conditions, sociodemographics, and behavioral characteristics. Conclusions PTSD is associated with less healthy changes in overall diet quality over time. Poor diet quality may be one pathway linking PTSD with a higher risk of chronic disease development.
Gender Equality, Drinking Cultures and Second-Hand Harms from Alcohol in the 50 US States

Background: Gender inequality and cultures of binge drinking may increase the risk of second-hand harms from alcohol. Methods: Using the 2014–2015 National Alcohol Survey and 2015 National Alcohol’s Harm to Others Survey (N = 7792), we examine associations of state-level gender equality measures (contraceptive access, abortion rights, women’s economic equality) and binge drinking cultures (rates of men’s and women’s binge drinking) with individual-level indicators of second-hand harms by drinking strangers and partners/spouses. Results: In main effects models, only male binge drinking was associated with greater odds of harms from drinking strangers. There were significant interactions of gender equality with male binge drinking: High male binge drinking rates were more strongly associated with stranger-perpetrated harms in states low on contraceptive access or abortion rights compared to states high on these measures. Conversely, male binge drinking was more strongly associated with spouse/partner-perpetrated second-hand harms in states with more economic equality, compared to states lower on this measure. Conclusions: Detrimental effects of high male binge drinking rates may be modified by gender equality. Targeted interventions may reduce alcohol-related harms experienced by women in states with high rates of male binge drinking. Restrictions in access to contraception and abortion may exacerbate harms due to men’s drinking.
DJ-1 regulates the integrity and function of ER-mitochondria association through interaction with IP3R3-Grp75-VDAC1

Significance Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria form close associations that serve as a critical signaling platform. Loss-of-function mutations in DJ-1 are associated with autosomal recessive early onset Parkinson’s disease (PD). We found that DJ-1 knockout caused significant impairments in the structure and function of ER-mitochondria association in neuronal cells and in vivo. Reduced DJ-1 was associated with deficits in ER-mitochondria association in the substantia nigra of sporadic PD. Our study identifies DJ-1 as a critical component of the macrocomplex containing IP3R3-Grp75-VDAC1 at mitochondria-associated membrane and as playing an important role in the regulation of the integrity and function of ER-mitochondria association. Our research offers insights into the regulation mechanism of ER-mitochondria association and the pathogenic mechanism of DJ-1 deficiency in PD. Loss-of-function mutations in DJ-1 are associated with autosomal recessive early onset Parkinson’s disease (PD), yet the underlying pathogenic mechanism remains elusive. Here we demonstrate that DJ-1 localized to the mitochondria-associated membrane (MAM) both in vitro and in vivo. In fact, DJ-1 physically interacts with and is an essential component of the IP3R3-Grp75-VDAC1 complexes at MAM. Loss of DJ-1 disrupted the IP3R3-Grp75-VDAC1 complex and led to reduced endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-mitochondria association and disturbed function of MAM and mitochondria in vitro. These deficits could be rescued by wild-type DJ-1 but not by the familial PD-associated L166P mutant which had demonstrated reduced interaction with IP3R3-Grp75. Furthermore, DJ-1 ablation disturbed calcium efflux-induced IP3R3 degradation after carbachol treatment and caused IP3R3 accumulation at the MAM in vitro. Importantly, similar deficits in IP3R3-Grp75-VDAC1 complexes and MAM were found in the brain of DJ-1 knockout mice in vivo. The DJ-1 level was reduced in the substantia nigra of sporadic PD patients, which was associated with reduced IP3R3-DJ-1 interaction and ER-mitochondria association. Together, these findings offer insights into the cellular mechanism in the involvement of DJ-1 in the regulation of the integrity and calcium cross-talk between ER and mitochondria and suggests that impaired ER-mitochondria association could contribute to the pathogenesis of PD.
Evoked Frontal and Parietal Field Potential Signatures of Target Detection and Response Inhibition in Rats Performing an Equiprobable Auditory Go/No-Go Task

Visual Abstract To characterize the rat as a potential model of frontal-parietal auditory processing during sustained attention, target detection, and response inhibition, we recorded field potentials (FPs) at multiple sites in medial-dorsal frontal and posterior parietal cortex simultaneously while rats performed an equiprobable auditory go/no-go discrimination task. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were calculated by averaging tone-triggered FPs across hit, miss, false alarm (FA), and correct rejection (CR) trials separately for each recording session, and five peak amplitudes (termed N1, P2, N2, P3E, and P3L) were extracted from the individual-session ERPs. Comparing peak amplitudes across different trials types indicated a statistically significant amplification of the P2 peak on hit trials that accompanies detection of the target tone prior to the behavioral go response. This result appears analogous to human ERP phenomena during auditory target discrimination. Conversely, the rat P3 responses were not associated with target detection as in the human ERP literature. Likewise, we did not observe the “no-go N2” or “no-go P3” responses reported in the human literature in association with response inhibition, which might reflect differences in task context or a difference in auditory processing between rats and humans. We also present analyses of stimulus-induced spectral power and interarea coherence to characterize oscillatory synchronization which may contribute to ERPs, and discuss possible error-related processing at the N2, P3E, and P3L peaks.
The microRNAs miR-302b and miR-372 regulate mitochondrial metabolism via the SLC25A12 transporter, which controls MAVS-mediated antiviral innate immunity

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that suppress the expression of multiple genes and are involved in numerous biologic functions and disorders, including human diseases. Here, we report that two miRNAs, miR-302b and miR-372, target mitochondrial-mediated antiviral innate immunity by regulating mitochondrial dynamics and metabolic demand. Using human cell lines transfected with the synthetic analog of viral dsRNA, poly(I-C), or challenged with Sendai virus, we found that both miRNAs are up-regulated in the cells late after viral infection and ultimately terminate the production of type I interferons and inflammatory cytokines. We found that miR-302b and miR-372 are involved in dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1)-dependent mitochondrial fragmentation and disrupt mitochondrial metabolism by attenuating solute carrier family 25 member 12 (SLC25A12), a member of the SLC25 family. Neutralizing the effects of the two miRNAs through specific inhibitors re-established the mitochondrial dynamics and the antiviral responses. We found that SLC25A12 contributes to regulating the antiviral response by inducing mitochondrial-related metabolite changes in the organelle. Structure–function analysis indicated that SLC25A12, as part of a prohibitin complex, associates with the mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein in mitochondria, providing structural insight into the regulation of the mitochondrial-mediated antiviral response. Our results contribute to the understanding of how miRNAs modulate the innate immune response by altering mitochondrial dynamics and metabolic demand. Manipulating the activities of miR-302b and miR-372 may be a potential therapeutic approach to target RNA viruses.
A dual‐center evaluation of platelet culture vials to detect the presence of microorganisms in platelets

Microorganism contamination of platelets results in a high risk of transfusion‐related sepsis. Here, the ability of culture vials (BD BACTEC Platelet Aerobic/F and Platelet Anaerobic/F vials, Becton, Dickinson and Company) to detect microorganisms in leukoreduced apheresis platelets (LRAPs) and leukoreduced whole blood platelet concentrates (LRWBPCs) was assessed.
Open Suture Repair and Open Onlay Technique for Incisional Hernia in Elderly Patients with Multiple Comorbidities

We present our clinical experience with open suture repair and open onlay technique for incisional hernia in elderly patients with multiple comorbidities. Observations and clinical data are described for 20 patients older than 70 years (18 males, two females) whose mean age was 78.6 years (range, 70-88 years). Each patient had an incisional hernia between January 2004 and December 2010. All patients’ preoperative ASA scores were over III or IV and all had serious comorbidities. Mean operative time was 86.1±7.2 minutes and mean hernia size was 8.3 ± 3.7 cm. Mean hospital stay was 4.7 ± 1.7 days, and the recurrence rate was 10 % during a 24.2-month followup time. The complication rate was 30% and no patients died during the study period. Open suture repair and onlay technique is a simple and dependable procedure that can be performed quickly by general surgeons at varying experience levels.
Effect of heating rates and composition on the thermal decomposition of nitrate based molten salts

A detailed analysis on the thermal degradation of nitrate based molten salts evaluating the influence of different impurities and heating rates in their maximum working temperature is presented. Determining the maximum operating temperature is of interest when searching for new heat transfer fluids (HTF) for high temperature solar thermal applications as it limits the thermodynamic efficiency of the power block. Thermogravimetric analysis is performed on potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, the binary system Solar Salt, and the ternary Hitec. The kinetics of the thermal decomposition reactions are investigated through isoconversional analysis. The effect of adding some common impurities such us NaCl and Na2CO3 on the multi-component nitrate salts is evaluated. It was found that impurities such as Na2CO3 can enhance the thermal stability of Hitec salt, leading to higher thermal decomposition temperatures. For solar salt, impurities such as NaCl can enhance the thermal stability of solar salt at 10K·min, while adding Na2CO3 can have the opposite effect. For nitrate based molten salts used in TES and HTF systems in CSP a reduction on the purity required for the materials can present some operational advantages besides cost reduction. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer review by the scientific conference committee of SolarPACES 2014 under responsibility of PSE AG.
Child Language in Guatemala

The goal of the current study was to determine whether the MacArthur-Bates Inventario del Desarrollo de Habilidades Comunicativas – III (INV-III), a caregiver report language inventory developed in Mexico and normed on 30-47-month-old Mexican children, yields similar scores when administered to Guatemalan children. The inventory was completed in an interview format with the mothers of 44 Guatemalan monolingual Spanish-speaking children (ages 46-47 months) from a rural region of Guatemalan, primarily of lower socioeconomic status (SES), and their scores were compared to those of 54 monolingual Spanish-speaking Mexican children the same age from an urban region of central Mexico from the norming sample. The Mexican data were obtained using either a mail-in format or interviews, depending on the educational level of the parents. Guatemalan participants were credited with dialectal variants of words on the vocabulary list. No significant differences were found between the Guatemalan and Mexican samples on the Total Words or Sentence Complexity scores, in spite of group differences in maternal education levels. Item analyses revealed group differences on only 3 of the 100 vocabulary items (favoring the Mexican children), which may be attributed to cultural and/or SES differences between the groups, and only one of the Sentence Complexity items (favoring the Guatemalan children), which may reflect the use of an interview format with all of the Guatemalan participants and only some of the Mexican participants. The results suggest that the INV-III is a viable option for assessing Guatemalan children in this age range when word equivalents are given credit.
Aluminum Effects in Infants and Children

Aluminum has no known biological function; however, it is a contaminant present in most foods and medications. Aluminum is excreted by the renal system, and patients with renal diseases should avoid aluminum-containing medications. Studies demonstrating long-term toxicity from the aluminum content in parenteral nutrition components led the US Food and Drug Administration to implement rules for these solutions. Large-volume ingredients were required to reduce the aluminum concentration, and small-volume components were required to be labeled with the aluminum concentration. Despite these rules, the total aluminum concentration from some components continues to be above the recommended final concentration. The concerns about toxicity from the aluminum present in infant formulas and antiperspirants have not been substantiated but require more research. Aluminum is one of the most effective adjuvants used in vaccines, and a large number of studies have documented minimal adverse effects from this use. Long-term, high-concentration exposure to aluminum has been linked in meta-analyses with the development of Alzheimer disease.