Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enriched Environment and Exercise Enhance Stem Cell Therapy for Stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, and Huntington’s Disease

Stem cells, specifically embryonic stem cells (ESCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs), and neural progenitor stem cells (NSCs), are a possible treatment for stroke, Parkinson’s disease (PD), and Huntington’s disease (HD). Current preclinical data suggest stem cell transplantation is a potential treatment for these chronic conditions that lack effective long-term treatment options. Finding treatments with a wider therapeutic window and harnessing a disease-modifying approach will likely improve clinical outcomes. The overarching concept of stem cell therapy entails the use of immature cells, while key in recapitulating brain development and presents the challenge of young grafted cells forming neural circuitry with the mature host brain cells. To this end, exploring strategies designed to nurture graft-host integration will likely enhance the reconstruction of the elusive neural circuitry. Enriched environment (EE) and exercise facilitate stem cell graft-host reconstruction of neural circuitry. It may involve at least a two-pronged mechanism whereby EE and exercise create a conducive microenvironment in the host brain, allowing the newly transplanted cells to survive, proliferate, and differentiate into neural cells; vice versa, EE and exercise may also train the transplanted immature cells to learn the neurochemical, physiological, and anatomical signals in the brain towards better functional graft-host connectivity.
Tofacitinib Decreases Autophagy of Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes From Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

The pathway of Janus tyrosine kinases (JAKs) has a central role in the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) by regulating multiple immune functions and cytokine production. The JAK inhibitor tofacitinib is effective in RA patients not responding to methotrexate or TNF-inhibitors. Since hyperactive autophagy has been associated with impaired apoptosis of RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS), we aimed to investigate the role of tofacitinib in modulating autophagy and apoptosis in these cells. FLS isolated from RA biopsies were cultured with tofacitinib in presence of autophagy inducer rapamycin and in serum deprivation condition. Levels of autophagy, apoptosis, and citrullinated proteins were analyzed by western blot, flow cytometry, immunocytofluorescence, and Real-Time PCR. Rapamycin induced an increase in RA-FLS autophagy while the levels of autophagy marker LC3-II were reduced after in vitro treatment with tofacitinib. The analysis of autophagic flux by specific fluorescence dye confirmed the reduction of autophagy in RA FLS. The treatment with tofacitinib did not influence apoptosis of RA FLS. Modulation of the autophagic process by tofacitinib did not significantly change citrullination. The results of this study demonstrate that tofacitinib is able to modulate autophagy of FLS contributing to its effectiveness in RA patients.
Interprofessional Teamwork to Promote Health: First-Time Parents' Experiences of a Combined Home Visit by Midwife and Child Health Care Nurse

Background To achieve the requisites for a child's healthy development and to reduce health inequalities, it is important to promote health initiatives at an early stage in a child's life and to include the parents. Home visits by healthcare professionals have been found to have positive health effects for both the baby and the parents. From an extended home visit programme in Sweden, our aim was to illuminate first-time parents' experience of a home visit conducted by a midwife and a child health care nurse 1–2 weeks postnatal. Methods Data was collected by interviews (n = 13) with first-time parents. The transcribed texts were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Results The participants' experiences could be understood from the two themes, A trust in the professionals and Feeling safe as a new parent. The participants experienced that the midwives and the child health care nurses complemented each other and appreciated to get knowledge and information from both professions. In their own home, they felt secured and relaxed, and the professionals could help them provide a safe home environment for the child. Conclusion By meeting both professionals at the same time and in their own home, the participants experienced that the needs of the baby and their needs and concerns as new parents were included and supported.
The Eccentric Phase in Unilateral Resistance Training Enhances and Preserves the Contralateral Knee Extensors Strength Gains After Detraining in Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The current randomized controlled study investigated whether or not the inclusion of the eccentric phase in resistance training favors the contralateral strength gains after different unilateral protocols, and whether such gains are retained after detraining. Sixty healthy women were randomly assigned to a unilateral concentric-only (CONC), eccentric-only (ECC), concentric–eccentric (TRAD) volume-equated knee extension training or control group (CON). The participants trained 2 days/week for 8 weeks and then did not train for further 8 weeks. Knee extensors isokinetic concentric, eccentric, and isometric peak torque and vastus lateralis muscle thickness were assessed in the contralateral limb at baseline, post-training, and post-detraining. At post-training, concentric peak torque increased in CONC [+9.2%, 95%CI (+6.2/+12.3), p < 0.001, ES: 0.70, 95%CI (0.01/1.39)], ECC [+11.0% (+7.7/+14.2), p < 0.001: ES: 0.66(0.09/1.23)] and TRAD [+8.5%(+5.7/+11.6), p < 0.001, ES: 0.50(0.02/0.98)]. Eccentric peak torque increased in ECC in ECC [+15.0%(+11.4/+20.7), p < 0.001, ES: 0.91(0.14/1.63)] and TRAD [+5.5%(+0.3/10.7), p = 0.013, ES: 0.50(0.05/0.95)]. Isometric peak torque increased in ECC [+11.3(+5.8/16.8), p < 0.001, ES: 0.52(0.10/0.94)] and TRAD [+8.6%(+3.4/+13.7), p < 0.001, ES: 0.55(0.14/0.96)]. No change in eccentric and isometric peak torque occurred in CONC (p > 0.05). Muscle thickness did not change in any group (p > 0.05). At post-detraining, all groups preserved the contralateral strength gains observed at post-training (p < 0.05). The findings showed that ECC and TRAD increased contralateral knee extensors strength in concentric, eccentric, and isometric modality, while CONC only increased concentric strength. The eccentric phase appears to amplify the cross-education effect, permitting a transfer in strength gaining toward multiple testing modalities. Both eccentric-based and traditional eccentric–concentric resistance protocols are recommended to increase the contralateral retention in strength gains after a detraining period.
Proteomic Analysis of the Protective Effect of Eriodictyol on Benzo(a)pyrene-Induced Caco-2 Cytotoxicity

We evaluated the possible protective effects of six polyphenols on benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)-induced cytotoxicity in Caco-2 cells. We show that treatment with quinic acid, ferulic acid, homovanillic acid, trolox and BaP decreased cell viability, whereas naringenin and eriodictyol affected viability in a bi-phasic manner with low concentrations decreasing viability whereas higher concentrations increase viability. Co-treatment with 20 μM eriodictyol or naringenin reduced BaP-induced cytotoxicity, including cell apoptosis, cell cycle progression, and oxidative stress. Our results show that the protective effect of eriodictyol was superior to that of naringenin. The potential protective mechanisms of eriodictyol on BaP-induced toxicity were investigated by proteomics. We identified 80 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) with proteins associated with genetic information processing pathway representing the highest proportion and number of proteins responding to eriodictyol treatment, including key proteins such as RPA2, SNRPA, RAD23B, NUP155 and AARS. Our results provide new knowledge on how polyphenols may prevent BaP-induced carcinogenesis.
Impact of COVID-19 and Consortium Factors on Mental Health: Role of Emotional Labor Strategies in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2019 has created an acute fear of economic crisis, and people have experienced the state of perceived job insecurity. Several measures were taken to control this deadly pandemic, but it still affected the majority of global operational activities. This study addresses the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 8 that relates to decent work and economic growth. This quantitative study examines the impact of fear associated with economic crisis and perceived job insecurity on mental health with the moderating effect of surface and deep acting. Surface acting is displaying fake emotions, and deep acting is modifying inner feelings according to the required emotions. This study used sample data from private-sector employees and applied SmartPLS for structural model assessment. As many organizations took more challenging decisions to sustain their business operations, the study therefore analyzes the impact of the pandemic on private sector employees. The two main findings of the study are: (i) surface acting moderates the relationships of fear of economic crisis and perceived job insecurity with mental health and declines the impact of both on mental health, (ii) while deep acting negatively moderates the relationships of fear of economic crisis and perceived job insecurity with mental health and improved mental health even in the presence of both. The study highlighted the importance of deep acting at workplaces to sustain employees’ mental and psychological stability. Organizations could introduce emotional labor strategies and strengthen the mental health of their employees against the underlying fear of economic crisis and perceived job insecurity.
The Codon Usage Bias Analysis of Free-Living Ciliates’ Macronuclear Genomes and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/Cas9 Vector Construction of Stylonychia lemnae

Ciliates represent higher unicellular animals, and several species are also important model organisms for molecular biology research. Analyses of codon usage bias (CUB) of the macronuclear (MAC) genome in ciliates can not only promote a better understanding of the genetic mode and evolution history of these organisms but also help optimize codons to improve the gene editing efficiency of model ciliates. In this study, macronuclear genome sequences of nine free-living ciliates were analyzed with CodonW software to calculate the following indices: the guanine-cytosine content (GC); the frequency of the nucleotides U, C, A, and G at the third position of codons (U3s, C3s, A3s, G3s); the effective number of codons (ENC); the correlation between GC at the first and second positions (GC12); the frequency of the nucleotides G + C at the third position of synonymous codons (GC3s); the relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU). Parity rule 2 plot analysis, neutrality plot analysis, and correlation analysis were performed to explore the factors that influence codon preference. The results showed that the GC contents in nine ciliates’ MAC genomes were lower than 50% and appeared AT-rich. The base compositions of GC12 and GC3s are markedly distinct and the codon usage pattern and evolution of ciliates are affected by genetic mutation and natural selection. According to the synonymous codon analysis, the codons of most ciliates ended with A or U and eight codons were the general optimal codons of nine ciliates. A clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9) expression vector of Stylonychia lemnae was constructed by optimizing the macronuclear genome codon and was successfully used to knock out the Adss gene. This is the first such extensive investigation of the MAC genome CUB of ciliates and the initial successful application of the CRISPR/Cas9 technique in free-living ciliates.
Genomic Snapshot of SARS-CoV-2 in Migrants Entering Through Mediterranean Sea Routes

In December 2019, a novel coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China, rapidly spreading into a global pandemic. Italy was the first European country to experience SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, and one of the most severely affected during the first wave of diffusion. In contrast to the general restriction of people movements in Europe, the number of migrants arriving at Italian borders via the Mediterranean Sea route in the summer of 2020 had increased dramatically, representing a possible, uncontrolled source for the introduction of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants. Importantly, most of the migrants came from African countries showing limited SARS-CoV-2 epidemiological surveillance. In this study, we characterized the SARS-CoV-2 genome isolated from an asymptomatic migrant arrived in Sardinia via the Mediterranean route in September 2020, in comparison with SARS-CoV-2 isolates arrived in Sicily through the Libyan migration route; with SARS-CoV-2 isolates circulating in Sardinia during 2020; and with viral genomes reported in African countries during the same summer. Results showed that our sequence is not phylogenetically related to isolates from migrants arriving in Sicily, nor to isolates circulating in Sardinia territory, having greater similarity to SARS-CoV-2 genomes reported in countries known for being sites of migrant embarkation to Italy. This is in line with the hypothesis that most SARS-CoV-2 infections among migrants have been acquired prior to embarking to Italy, possibly during the travel to or the stay in crowded Libyan immigrant camps. Overall, these observations underline the importance of dedicated SARS-CoV-2 surveillance of migrants arriving in Italy and in Europe through the Mediterranean routes.
Adult Height in Girls With Idiopathic Premature Adrenarche: A Cohort Study and Design of a Predictive Model

Introduction Idiopathic premature adrenarche (IPA) is considered a normal variant of puberty, presenting more commonly in female patients. There are concerns as to whether IPA alters the final height of these girls. Our main objectives were to (a) compare the adult height of girls with IPA against their target height and (b) design a mathematical model to predict adult height at diagnosis in female patients with IPA. Materials and Methods A cohort study of girls with IPA was conducted from the time of IPA diagnosis until adult height. The following data were collected: target height, perinatal history, anthropometric and biochemical variables and bone age at diagnosis, age at Tanner stage 2 and menarcheal age, and adult height. First, we performed a univariate statistical analysis after which we carried out a multiple linear regression analysis using adult height as the dependent variable. Results We obtained data from 79 female patients diagnosed with IPA with a mean adult height of 164.6 cm (95% CI: 163.36–165.85 cm). The mean follow-up time was 6.60 years. Average age at Tanner stage 2 was 9.71 years. Mean menarcheal age was 11.64 years. There were no significant differences between target height and adult height. Of the several predictive models designed for these patients, one of them, which included bone age, obtained an R 2 value of 71%. Conclusions Although slightly advanced puberty was observed among the girls with IPA, their adult height was preserved. The use of predictive models of adult height on diagnosis of IPA could facilitate closer follow-up of girls at risk of reduced adult height.
Brain Functional Topology Alteration in Right Lateral Occipital Cortex Is Associated With Upper Extremity Motor Recovery

Stroke is a chief cause of sudden brain damage that severely disrupts the whole-brain network. However, the potential mechanisms of motor recovery after stroke are uncertain and the prognosis of poststroke upper extremity recovery is still a challenge. This study investigated the global and local topological properties of the brain functional connectome in patients with subacute ischemic stroke and their associations with the clinical measurements. A total of 57 patients, consisting of 29 left-sided and 28 right-sided stroke patients, and 32 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited to undergo a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) study; patients were also clinically evaluated with the Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA_UE). The assessment was repeated at 15 weeks to assess upper extremity functional recovery for the patient remaining in the study (12 left- 20 right-sided stroke patients). Global graph topological disruption indices of stroke patients were significantly decreased compared with HCs but these indices were not significantly associated with FMA_UE. In addition, local brain network structure of stroke patients was altered, and the altered regions were dependent on the stroke site. Significant associations between local degree and motor performance and its recovery were observed in the right lateral occipital cortex (R LOC) in the right-sided stroke patients. Our findings suggested that brain functional topologies alterations in R LOC are promising as prognostic biomarkers for right-sided subacute stroke. This cortical area might be a potential target to be further validated for non-invasive brain stimulation treatment to improve poststroke upper extremity recovery.
Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis in Alcoholism: Consequences for Health and Recovery

Since the mid 1980’s, the impact of gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome changes during alcohol use disorder has been an area of significant interest. This work has resulted in the identification of specific changes in the abundance of certain members of the GI microbiome and the role these changes play in a variety of alcohol related disorders (i.e. alcoholic liver disease). Interestingly, some findings suggest a possible role for the GI microbiome in alcohol addiction or withdrawal. Unfortunately, there is a significant gap in knowledge in this area. Here we describe differences in the GI microbiome of alcoholic and non-alcoholic individuals and discuss the possible impact of microbes on the gut-brain axis, which could impact alcohol related behaviors (i.e. addiction). Understanding the role of the GI microbiome in alcohol related disorders will potentially lead to the development of successful microbiome-targeted therapeutics to help mitigate these disorders.
Anesthesia With Propofol Sedation Reduces Locoregional Recurrence in Patients With Breast Cancer Receiving Total Mastectomy Compared With Non-Propofol Anesthesia

Purpose We examined locoregional recurrence (LRR) in patients with breast invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) receiving total mastectomy (TM) under propofol-based paravertebral block-regional anesthesia (PB-RA) versus sevoflurane-based inhalational general anesthesia (INHA-GA) without propofol. All-cause death and distant metastasis were secondary endpoints. Patients and Methods Patients with breast IDC receiving TM were recruited through propensity score matching and categorized into INHA-GA with sevoflurane and PB-RA with propofol groups. Cox regression analysis was performed to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, the adjusted HR (aHR; 95% CI) of LRR for the PB-RA with propofol group was 0.52 (0.28–0.96) compared with the INHA-GA with sevoflurane group. The aHRs of LRR for differentiation grade II, grade III, the American Joint Committee on Cancer clinical stage II, stage III, pathological tumor (pT) stage 2, pT stage 3–4, pathological nodal (pN) stage 1, and pN stage 2–3 were 1.16 (1.04–2.08), 1.28 (1.07–2.12), 3.71 (1.82–7.59), 4.67 (1.65–13.18), 1.09 (1.02–1.21), 1.17 (1.03–2.16), 1.10 (1.03–1.33), and 1.22 (1.06–2.41), respectively, compared with differentiation grade I, clinical stage I, pT1, and pN0. The aHR of LRR for adjuvant RT was 0.88 (0.64–0.94) compared with that for no adjuvant RT. Conclusion PB-RA with propofol might be beneficial for reducing LRR in women with breast IDC receiving TM compared with INHA-GA without propofol.
Construction and Validation of a Ferroptosis-Related Prognostic Signature for Melanoma Based on Single-Cell RNA Sequencing

Melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, is on the rise globally. The generally poor prognosis makes melanoma still an enormous public health problem. Ferroptosis is a newly emerging form of iron-dependent regulated cell death, which has been implicated in the development and treatment of several tumors. However, whether there is a connection between ferroptosis-related genes and the prognosis of melanoma patients remains an enigma. In the present study, we identified a ferroptosis-related genes signature to predict the prognosis of melanoma patients by analyzing single-cell RNA-sequencing data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Single-cell trajectory analysis was performed to explore malignant differentiation. CellChat was used to investigate intercellular communications in melanoma. Collectively, a novel four-gene signature (CP, MAP1LC3A, transferrin, and TP53) was constructed for prognosis prediction. COX proportional hazards regression analysis showed that the established ferroptosis-associated risk model was an independent prognostic predictor for melanoma patients (HR = 2.3293; 95%CI 1.1528–4.706) (p < 0.018). Patients with low-risk scores had significantly better overall survival (OS) than those with high-risk scores in The Cancer Genome Atlas, GSE59455, and GSE22153 dataset (p = 0.0015, p = 0.031, p = 0.077). Furthermore, the gene expression level of the four genes were verified in multistrain melanoma cell lines and normal human epidermal melanocytes (NHEM). The protein expression level of the four genes in clinical samples were further verified in the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) databases. Taken together, our study identified the prognostic significance of the ferroptosis-related genes in melanoma and developed a novel four-gene prognostic signature, which may shed light on the prognostic assessment and clinical decision making for melanoma patients.
Trocar Puncture With a Sump Drain for Crohn's Disease With Intra-Abdominal Abscess: A 10-Year Retrospective Cohort Study

Background Traditional percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) and surgical intervention could not always achieve satisfactory results for patients with Crohn's disease (CD) who have complications with intra-abdominal abscess. We proposed a trocar puncture with sump drainage for the treatment of CD with intra-abdominal abscess and compared it with the conventional PCD and surgical intervention. Methods Crohn's disease patients with intra-abdominal abscess and admitted to our hospital from 2011 to 2020 were identified by reviewing the electronic medical records. We divided them into Trocar, PCD, and fecal diverting (FD) groups, according to the ways of treating an abscess. Outcomes, risk factors for abscess recurrence, and postoperative complications were compared among the three groups. Results A total of 69 patients were included and they were divided into Trocar (n = 18), PCD (n = 29), and FD (n = 22) groups. Four patients in the PCD group were transferred to receive the FD surgery due to the failure of initial treatment. The incidence of abscess recurrence was significantly higher in the PCD (48%) and FD (50%) groups compared to the patients using the trocar puncture with the sump drain (Trocar group) (16.7%). There were 8 patients in Trocar, 22 in PCD, and 20 s in the FD group who received enterectomy. None of the patients in the Trocar had an ultimate stoma and the incidence of postoperative complications was statistically lower [0% (Trocar) vs. 31.8% (PCD) vs. 45% (FD), P < 0.05]. The way of initial treating of the abscess was significantly correlated with the abscess recurrence and postoperative complications. Conclusions Trocar puncture with a sump drain had a lower incidence of abscess recurrence, abdominal adhesions, postdrainage, and postoperative complications compared to the conventional PCD or surgical intervention.