Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Community Programming for Companion Dog Retention: A Survey of Animal Welfare Organizations

ABSTRACT Animal sheltering organizations in the United States offer programs to support dog ownership, yet little is known about what has been implemented across the U.S. In order to systematically examine factors sheltering organizations believe contribute to canine relinquishment and identify what programs they employ to address relinquishment in their communities, we conducted a cross-sectional online survey of U.S. animal sheltering organizations. In total, 111 participants from organizations serving dogs completed the organizational survey. Organizations believed a lack of access to affordable veterinary and behavioral services as well as affordable pet-friendly housing were common reasons for dog relinquishment. Most organizations offered at least one program to address relinquishment such as behavior helplines, pet food banks, and veterinary care. Reasons for discontinuing a program or not being able offer a program that was desired included lack of staff and other resources. Given limited resources, animal welfare organizations should strategically develop programs for their individual communities and actively work to partner with the veterinary and the canine behavior profession to provide necessary medical and behavioral resources.
Using Virtual Reality to Stimulate Healthy and Environmentally Friendly Food Consumption among Children: An Interview Study

Since habits formed during childhood are predictive of adult behaviour, children form an important target group when it comes to improving healthy and environmentally friendly food consumption. To explore the potential of immersive virtual reality (VR) in this respect, we conducted a semi-structured interview study (N = 22) among children aged 6–13 years. This study consisted of two parts: (1) a VR experience and (2) a semi-structured interview to investigate (1) to what extent children are able to recall and understand information about the impact of food products on their health and the environment when provided to them as pop-ups in a VR supermarket; (2) what rational and emotional processes are triggered by this information; and (3) what children’s expectations about the real-life application and impact of the pop-ups are, and why. Interview data were analysed using the framework method. Results showed that although all participants were able to recall the information, only children from an average age of ten years old also understood the information. When participants understood the information, they were often aware of and felt sorry for their negative behavioural impact. Most participants expected their behaviour to positively change when imagining real-life application of the pop-ups.
Influence of sex, age, and education on mood profile clusters

In the area of mood profiling, six distinct profiles are reported in the literature, termed the iceberg, inverse iceberg, inverse Everest, shark fin, surface, and submerged profiles. We investigated if the prevalence of the six mood profiles varied by sex, age, and education among a large heterogeneous sample. The Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) was completed via the In The Mood website by 15,692 participants. A seeded k-means cluster analysis was used to confirm the six profiles, and discriminant function analysis was used to validate cluster classifications. Significant variations in the prevalence of mood profiles by sex, age, and education status were confirmed. For example, females more frequently reported negative mood profiles than males, and older and more highly educated participants had a higher prevalence of the iceberg profile than their younger and lesser educated counterparts. Findings suggest that refinement of the existing tables of normative data for the BRUMS should be considered.
Spray Drying of Fruit Juice Using Proteins as Additives

A novel method of manufacturing fruit juice powders was developed by using different proteins as additives when spray drying fruit juices. In this work, protein X was found to improve the yield during the spray drying of orange juice to greater than 80% recovery with less than 5% of protein X added. Other proteins were found to be less compatible as additives due to undesirable properties, such as being sensitive to heat and pH as well as having unpleasant odors.
Rates of Dual Diagnosis in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients: A Scoping Review

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Objectives: Child and adolescent psychiatric (CAP) inpatient admissions have increased since 2009 and the clinical profile of these patients has become more complex. Unrecognized dual diagnosis, that is, comorbid substance use or substance use disorder (SUD) may contribute to this problem, but the prevalence of dual diagnosis in this population is inadequately understood. The goal of this scoping review was to summarize the range and content of research on this topic. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsychINFO databases were systematically searched for studies published from 2008 to 2019 containing information on rates of comorbid substance use or SUD in CAP inpatients. Results: A total of 23,326 abstracts were located. After removing duplicates, screening abstracts and full-text papers, and extracting data with full-text reviews, fourteen studies meeting our criteria remained. Rates of substance use or SUD ranged from 0.9% to 54.8%, differing on the basis of: (1) type of outcome; (2) type of data source; and (3) whether samples had a specific diagnostic focus or not. Rates of any type of SUD were reported in approximately 25% of samples from administrative databases, in 17.7% to 38.5% of chart reviews, and in 55% of studies with data from clinical research examinations. The highest rates of substance-specific substance use or SUD were for alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine. Conclusions: We located 14 studies, but methodologic heterogeneity precluded quantitative calculation of a single estimate for the prevalence of dual diagnosis. However, most of the rates suggest that this is an important problem in CAP inpatients, meriting further research. We suggest ways to improve future studies.
Inotuzumab ozogamicin in infants and young children with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a case series

No data on inotuzumab ozogamicin (InO) in infant acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) have been published to date. We collected data internationally on infants/young children (<3 years) with ALL treated with InO. Fifteen patients (median 4.4 months at diagnosis) received InO due to relapsed or refractory (R/R) disease. Median percentage of CD22+ blasts was 72% (range 40–100%, n = 9). The median dose in the first course was 1.74 mg/m2 (fractionated). Seven patients (47%) achieved complete remission; one additional minimal residual disease (MRD)‐positive patient became MRD‐negative. Six‐month overall survival was 47% (95% confidence interval [CI] 27–80%). Two patients developed veno‐occlusive disease after transplant. Further evaluation of InO in this subgroup of ALL is justified.
Pathogenomic analyses of Mycobacterium microti, an ESX-1-deleted member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex causing disease in various hosts

Mycobacterium microti is an animal-adapted member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), which was originally isolated from voles, but has more recently also been isolated from other selected mammalian hosts, including occasionally from humans. Here, we have generated and analysed the complete genome sequences of five representative vole and clinical M. microti isolates using PacBio- and Illumina-based technologies, and have tested their virulence and vaccine potential in SCID (severe combined immune deficient) mouse and/or guinea pig infection models. We show that the clinical isolates studied here cluster separately in the phylogenetic tree from vole isolates and other clades from publicly available M. microti genome sequences. These data also confirm that the vole and clinical M. microti isolates were all lacking the specific RD1mic region, which in other tubercle bacilli encodes the ESX-1 type VII secretion system. Biochemical analysis further revealed marked phenotypic differences between isolates in type VII-mediated secretion of selected PE and PPE proteins, which in part were attributed to specific genetic polymorphisms. Infection experiments in the highly susceptible SCID mouse model showed that the clinical isolates were significantly more virulent than the tested vole isolates, but still much less virulent than the M. tuberculosis H37Rv control strain. The strong attenuation of the ATCC 35872 vole isolate in immunocompromised mice, even compared to the attenuated BCG (bacillus Calmette–Guérin) vaccine, and its historic use in human vaccine trials encouraged us to test this strain’s vaccine potential in a guinea pig model, where it demonstrated similar protective efficacy as a BCG control, making it a strong candidate for vaccination of immunocompromised individuals in whom BCG vaccination is contra-indicated. Overall, we provide new insights into the genomic and phenotypic variabilities and particularities of members of an understudied clade of the MTBC, which all share a recent common ancestor that is characterized by the deletion of the RD1mic region.
Comparison of Young Adult Female Cancer Survivors Recruited from a Population-Based Cancer Registry to Eligible Survivors

Background: Population-based cancer registries provide a resource to recruit young adult cancer survivors who may not be easily identified otherwise. Methods: We compared demographic and cancer-related characteristics of participants in a cohort of female young adult cancer survivors to those of eligible survivors in the Georgia Cancer Registry, a population-based registry in the United States. We examined associations between survivor characteristics and nonparticipation using logistic regression and associations between survivor characteristics and different types of nonparticipation (refusal, unable to contact, or unresolved vs. interviewed) using polytomous regression. Results: The Georgia Cancer Registry was able to contact 60% of eligible women (3,061/5,137). Of those, 78% agreed to study contact (n = 2,378), and of those, 56% were interviewed (n = 1,342). Participation was similar across age at contact and at diagnosis but varied across cancer type from 17% for cervical cancer to 32% for breast cancer. White women were slightly more likely to be interviewed (28%) than African American women (23%), which was mostly attributable to greater difficulty in contacting African American women (odds ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval: 1.5–2.1). Conclusions: The greatest challenge to recruiting women was contacting them, which differed across some but not all demographic and cancer-related characteristics. When successfully contacted, most survivors agreed to participate. Impact: Population-based cancer registries can serve as an invaluable resource to recruit representative samples of young adult cancer survivors, who are otherwise difficult to identify.
NEDD4 triggers FOXA1 ubiquitination and promotes colon cancer progression under microRNA-340-5p suppression and ATF1 upregulation

ABSTRACT NEDD4 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that recognizes substrates through protein–protein interactions and is involved in cancer development. This study aimed to elucidate the function of NEDD4 in colon cancer (CC) progression and its mechanism of action. NEDD4 was abundantly expressed in CC tissues and cells, and the overexpression of NEDD4 promoted the growth and metastasis of xenograft tumours as well as the tumorigenesis rate of primary CC in mouse models. In in vitro experiments, the silencing (or upregulation) of NEDD4 inhibited (or increased) the viability, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of CC cells. The binding relationships between NEDD4 and FOXA1, FOXA1 and microRNA (miRNA)-340-5p, and miR-340-5p and ATF1 were validated by Co-immunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays, and NEDD4 was demonstrated to trigger FOXA1 ubiquitination and degradation. FOXA1 transcriptionally activated miR-340-5p, which subsequently bound to ATF1 mRNA. The upregulation of FOXA1 or miR-340-5p or the downregulation of ATF1 blocked certain functions of NEDD4 in CC cells. Altogether, NEDD4 was demonstrated to trigger FOXA1 ubiquitination and promote CC progression under the involvement of microRNA-340-5p suppression and ATF1 upregulation.
Can respondent driven sampling be used to recruit new mothers? A mixed methods study in metropolitan Washington DC

Background Respondent driven sampling (RDS) is employed to recruit populations that are hard-to-reach, “hidden,” or without a sampling frame. For new mothers (those with infants <6 months) in countries without national health care systems or registries, there is no sampling frame, and random samples may only be attained through costly strategies, e.g., random-dial calling. Objective To assess the feasibility of RDS to recruit new mothers. Methods In the initial study, we recruited 30 new mothers (“seeds”) from a single birth hospital; each was given 3 referral coupons to give to other mothers (“referrals”). When our sample did not self-perpetuate with referrals, additional seeds were recruited. Demographics of seeds and referrals were compared. A subset of mothers participated in focus groups and were asked about their experience with RDS. We also conducted a second survey of new mothers to further assess feasibility of RDS in this population. Results Of the 402 mothers recruited in the initial study, 305 were seeds and only 97 were referrals. Referrals were more likely to be White, highly educated, older, and privately insured (all p≤0.001). Focus group participants indicated that the time required to meet other mothers was an important barrier. In the second survey we recruited 201 mothers; only 53.7% knew ≥1 mother whom they could invite to the study. Conclusions New mothers are not easily recruited using RDS because they have a limited number of contacts who are also new mothers. Those recruited through RDS are more likely to be older, Caucasian and of high socioeconomic status, indicating it is not an effective way to recruit a representative sample of new mothers.
Calcium Supplements and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials

Background: Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (double-blind, placebo-controlled RCTs) have reported controversial findings regarding the associations between calcium supplements on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between them. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and the bibliographies of relevant articles for double-blind, placebo-controlled RCTs in November, 2020. Relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of cardiovascular disease were calculated using a random effects model. The main outcomes were CVD, coronary heart disease (CHD), and cerebrovascular disease. Results: A total of 13 double-blind, placebo-controlled RCTs (n = 28,935 participants in an intervention group and 14,243 in a control group)) were included in the final analysis. Calcium supplements significantly increased the risk of CVD (RR 1.15, 95% CI 1.06–1.25], I2 = 0.0%, n = 14) and CHD (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.05–1.28], I2 = 0.0%, n = 9) in double-blind, placebo-controlled RCTs, specifically in healthy postmenopausal women. In the subgroup meta-analysis, dietary calcium intake of 700–1000 mg per day or supplementary calcium intake of 1000 mg per day significantly increased the risk of CVD and CHD. Conclusions: The current meta-analysis found that calcium supplements increased a risk of CVD by about 15% in healthy postmenopausal women.
Structure of plate-shape nanodiamonds synthesized from chloroadamantane—are they still diamonds?

Atomic structure of plate-shaped nanodiamonds synthesized from chloroadamantane was identified with application of large-Q powder diffraction data. Both reciprocal and real space methods of experimental data analysis were applied. Theoretical atomistic models of nanodiamonds were obtained with application of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. It was found that examined nanodiamond samples with average grain size from 1.2 up to 2.5 nm are plates build from only six hexagonal carbon layers and they are terminated by (111)B surfaces with three dangling bonds. MD simulations showed that as a result of relaxation of surface stresses there appears a complex system of compressive and tensile strains across and parallel to the surface of the plate-nanodiamonds. Identification of the internal structure of nanodiamond was performed based on the analysis of differential interatomic distance diagrams derived from pair distribution functions G(r). Based on MD simulations an atomic model of plate-grains of diamond was elaborated. Usefulness of lattice parameters determined in a routine diffraction data analysis for characterization of nanodiamonds is questioned. As an alternative the application of the apparent lattice parameter is recommended. A dependence of the overall apparent lattice parameter 〈alp〉 on the size and shape of nanodiamond grains terminated by low index crystal faces is presented.
Peripheral blood microRNAs and the COVID-19 patient: methodological considerations, technical challenges and practice points

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 emergency pandemic resulting from infection with SARS-CoV-2 represents a major threat to public health worldwide. There is an urgent clinical demand for easily accessible tools to address weaknesses and gaps in the management of COVID-19 patients. In this context, transcriptomic profiling of liquid biopsies, especially microRNAs (miRNAs), has recently emerged as a robust source of potential clinical indicators for medical decision-making. Nevertheless, the analysis of the circulating miRNA signature and its translation to clinical practice requires strict control of a wide array of methodological details. In this review, we indicate the main methodological aspects that should be addressed when evaluating the circulating miRNA profiles in COVID-19 patients, from preanalytical and analytical variables to the experimental design, impact of confounding, analysis of the data and interpretation of the findings, among others. Additionally, we provide practice points to ensure the rigour and reproducibility of miRNA-based biomarker investigations of this condition. Abbreviations: ACE: angiotensin-converting enzyme; ARDS: acute respiratory distress syndrome; COVID-19: coronavirus disease 2019; ERDN: early Detection Research Network; LMWH: low molecular weight heparin; miRNA: microRNA; ncRNA: noncoding RNA; SARS-CoV-2: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2; SOP: standard operating procedure.
Biodegradation of phenol by Synechocystis sp. in media including triacontanol hormone

Phenol removal levels of Synechocystis sp. were investigated in BG11 media with 10 mg/L triacontanol (TRIA) and without it to test whether the hormone could increase the removal efficiency by increasing biomass. The assays were performed to determine the effect of light on degradation, in media with 119.0–492.8 mg/L phenol under light and dark conditions. At increasing phenol concentrations, the degradation ranged between 98.5 and 100% regardless of a dark or a light condition. Experiments were carried out under light to determine the optimum pH for effective degradation. Optimum pH was found to be 6.5 at 200 mg/L phenol with or without TRIA. Phenol degradation was investigated in the 120.2–826.9 mg/L range. Although 377.4 mg/L phenol was completely degraded in hormone controls within 120 h, degradation was increased by TRIA, and the process was completed in 96 h. These data suggest that Synechocystis sp. has potential for use in the treatment of wastewaters containing phenol.
Taxonomic Evaluation of the Heyndrickxia (Basonym Bacillus) sporothermodurans Group (H. sporothermodurans, H. vini, H. oleronia) Based on Whole Genome Sequences

The genetic heterogeneity of Heyndrickxia sporothermodurans (formerly Bacillus sporothermodurans) was evaluated using whole genome sequencing. The genomes of 29 previously identified Heyndrickxia sporothermodurans and two Heyndrickxia vini strains isolated from ultra-high-temperature (UHT)-treated milk were sequenced by short-read (Illumina) sequencing. After sequence analysis, the two H. vini strains could be reclassified as H. sporothermodurans. In addition, the genomes of the H. sporothermodurans type strain (DSM 10599T) and the closest phylogenetic neighbors Heyndrickxia oleronia (DSM 9356T) and Heyndrickxia vini (JCM 19841T) were also sequenced using both long (MinION) and short-read (Illumina) sequencing. By hybrid sequence assembly, the genome of the H. sporothermodurans type strain was enlarged by 15% relative to the short-read assembly. This noticeable increase was probably due to numerous mobile elements in the genome that are presumptively related to spore heat tolerance. Phylogenetic studies based on 16S rDNA gene sequence, core genome, single-nucleotide polymorphisms and ANI/dDDH, showed that H. vini is highly related to H. sporothermodurans. When examining the genome sequences of all H. sporothermodurans strains from this study, together with 4 H. sporothermodurans genomes available in the GenBank database, the majority of the 36 strains examined occurred in a clonal lineage with less than 100 SNPs. These data substantiate previous reports on the existence and spread of a genetically highly homogenous and heat resistant spore clone, i.e., the HRS-clone.
Effect of fennel essential oil on performance, serum biochemistry, immunity, ileum morphology and microbial population, and meat quality of broiler chickens fed corn or wheat-based diet

ABSTRACT 1. The effect of Foeniculi aetheroleum essential oil (EO) on growth performance, nutrient utilisation, serum biochemistry, immune response, ileum morphology, microbial population and meat quality of broiler chickens fed a corn- or wheat-based diet were determined. 2. A total of 360 broiler chickens were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial assay in a completely randomised design with six replicates and 15 birds per experimental unit. Birds were fed corn- or wheat-based diets supplemented with (200 mg/kg) or without fennel EO. 3. Birds fed wheat-based diets had lower BWG and FCR during grower period and lower FI during finisher period as compared to those fed corn-based diet (P < 0.05) whereas addition of fennel EO decreased chickens BWG during finisher period and EPEF, both in wheat or in corn-based diets. Dietary treatments had no effect on serum glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, AST, ALT, ALP, and MDA concentrations (P < 0.05). 4. Antibody titres against avian influenza and sheep red blood cell antibody titres, crude protein and crude fat utilisation, villus height, crypt depth and epithelium thickness were not influenced by dietary treatments (P > 0.05). Inclusion of Fennel EO to the corn-based diet resulted in greater villus width and villus surface area while it reduced lamina propria thickness (P < 0.05). Fennel EO reduced ileal E. coli and Lactobacillus spp. populations (P < 0.05). Dietary treatments had no significant effect on meat pH, cooking loss, drip loss, crude protein, crude fat content and cholesterol concentration of breast and thigh meat, total phenolic and MDA concentrations, and breast meat sensory parameters (P > 0.05). 5. These results showed that addition of fennel EO to wheat-based diets had a negative effect on chicken growth performance variables and decreased gut E. coli populations. However, immunity, meat quality and nutrient utilisation were not affected by dietary treatments.