Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of strawberries grown in the Brazilian savannah and stored at different temperatures

Oxidative stress is a major issue in human health. It is usually associated with an increase in the generation of free radicals and the inability of biological systems to tackle this disequilibrium. Antioxidants from fruits and vegetables are considered an important protection factor against oxidative stress and its deleterious consequences to human health. We evaluated quality and bioactive compounds and antioxidant characteristics of ‘Osogrande’ and ‘Camino Real’ strawberries grown in the Brazilian savannah. Strawberries were harvested, selected, graded and stored at 5 o C and 15 o C for eight days. Berries were evaluated for vitamin C, total phenolic compounds, total anthocyanins, total ellagic acid, antioxidant activity by DPPH and FRAP assays, decay, mass loss, color, soluble solids and total titratable acidity. An increase in total phenolic compounds content ranging from 64% to 79% was observed for both cultivars at both temperatures between the fourth and the sixth days. ‘Camino Real’ strawberries showed higher contents at 15 o C in the sixth day of the experiment. ‘Osogrande’ strawberries had the highest concentrations of total ellagic acid. Vitamin C content increased in all treatments when berries were stored at 15 o C. No significant changes in antioxidant activity assayed by DPPH were observed for ‘Osogrande’ strawberries stored at 5 o C. Antioxidants of strawberries were comparable to those of fruit grown in other locations. After 2 days of storage only ‘Camino Real’ strawberries at 5 o C presented acceptable (>3.0) quality index. For fruits stored at 5 o C, decay was dramatically observed between the second and the fourth storage days, when 32% and 40% of ‘Osogrande’ and ‘Camino Real’ fruit surfaces were affected, respectively. Firmness of ‘Camino Real’ strawberries was approximately 2 times higher than ‘Osogrande’ fruits throughout the experimental period. Titratable acidity in ‘Camino Real’ strawberries decreased 19.5% and 17.4% after eight days at 5 o C and 15 o C, respectively. For ‘Osogrande’ fruits hue angle increased after four days, indicating a decrease in redness. Chroma did not change during storage time for both cultivars. The results of this study showed that antioxidant variables were not good markers of strawberry quality, given that they were positively related to decay variables.
Evidence for oscillating circadian clock genes in the copepod Calanus finmarchicus during the summer solstice in the high Arctic

The circadian clock provides a mechanism for anticipating environmental cycles and is synchronized by temporal cues such as daily light/dark cycle or photoperiod. However, the Arctic environment is characterized by several months of Midnight Sun when the sun is continuously above the horizon and where sea ice further attenuates photoperiod. To test if the oscillations of circadian clock genes remain in synchrony with subtle environmental changes, we sampled the copepod Calanus finmarchicus, a key zooplankter in the north Atlantic, to determine in situ daily circadian clock gene expression near the summer solstice at a southern (74.5° N) sea ice-free and a northern (82.5° N) sea ice-covered station. Results revealed significant oscillation of genes at both stations, indicating the persistence of the clock at this time. While copepods from the southern station showed oscillations in the daily range, those from the northern station exhibited an increase in ultradian oscillations. We suggest that in C. finmarchicus, even small daily changes of solar altitude seem to be sufficient to entrain the circadian clock and propose that at very high latitudes, in under-ice ecosystems, tidal cues may be used as an additional entrainment cue.
An Overview on Morphology, Biology, and Culture of Spotted Scat Scatophagus argus (Linnaeus 1766)

ABSTRACT Spotted scat Scatophagus argus is a popular aquarium species around the world due to its colorful appearance, hardiness, slow growth, and calm behavior. It has also been admired as a food fish mainly in the South and South-East Asian countries due to its good nutrient quality with high protein content and taste. Considering its importance both as ornamental and food fish, several researchers have studied on different aspects of its morphology, food and feeding habit, reproductive biology, and culture; but to date no consolidated report is available on these aspects. This report seeks to consolidate all available information on its morphology, biology, and culture and explore the scope for future research that will be beneficial for its fishery and trade. Considering the information summed up in the present report, it is evident that ample information is available on morphological characters, food, and feeding habit of Scatophagus argus without adequate knowledge on different aspects of its reproductive biology and culture. Further study is needed on these comparatively less explored aspects to support its fishery and trade in the near future.
Functional anatomy of the full-length CXCR4-CXCL12 complex systematically dissected by quantitative model-guided mutagenesis

Multiple critical pairs of residues in the chemokine CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 mediate receptor activation and signaling. Illuminating CXCR4 activation The small secreted protein CXCL12 and its cognate GPCR CXCR4 mediate cell migration and are implicated in immune cell trafficking, HIV-1 infection, and metastasis. Thus, structural analysis of the CXCR4-CXCL12 complex has implications for designing therapeutics. Stephens et al. tested their previous structural model of CXCR4-CXCL12 with a large panel of mutations and charged residue swapping experiments in cell-based functional assays and identified critical interactions across the large interface of the complex that are important for CXCR4 activation. These results challenge the established “two-site” hypothesis of chemokine receptor activation and provide structural insights into the mechanism of CXCR4 signaling. Because of their prominent roles in development, cancer, and HIV, the chemokine receptor CXCR4 and its ligand CXCL12 have been the subject of numerous structural and functional studies, but the determinants of ligand binding, selectivity, and signaling are still poorly understood. Here, building on our latest structural model, we used a systematic mutagenesis strategy to dissect the functional anatomy of the CXCR4-CXCL12 complex. Key charge swap mutagenesis experiments provided evidence for pairwise interactions between oppositely charged residues in the receptor and chemokine, confirming the accuracy of the predicted orientation of the chemokine relative to the receptor and providing insight into ligand selectivity. Progressive deletion of N-terminal residues revealed an unexpected contribution of the receptor N terminus to chemokine signaling. This finding challenges a longstanding “two-site” hypothesis about the essential features of the receptor-chemokine interaction in which the N terminus contributes only to binding affinity. Our results suggest that although the interaction of the chemokine N terminus with the receptor-binding pocket is the key driver of signaling, the signaling amplitude depends on the extent to which the receptor N terminus binds the chemokine. Together with systematic characterization of other epitopes, these data enable us to propose an experimentally consistent structural model for how CXCL12 binds CXCR4 and initiates signal transmission through the receptor transmembrane domain.
Editors' note: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk of intracerebral hemorrhage: A prospective study

In their community-based cohort study including more than 96,000 patients over a 9-year period, Drs. Ma and colleagues sought to validate the relationship between very-low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Compared with patients with a cumulative average LDL of ≥70 mg/dL, those with an average LDL of 50–69 mg/dL were at significantly greater risk of experiencing a primary ICH (odds ratio [OR] 1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32–2.05); in addition, patients with an average LDL <50 mg/dL were at even greater risk (OR 2.69, 95% CI 2.03–3.57). Although these relative estimates may appear concerning, the low overall event rate may attenuate the absolute clinical risk, as summarized by Drs. Lima and Fraiman in their response. With only 768 events over 9 years, the absolute increase in ICH risk is approximately 0.0015 events/person/year, which may pale in comparison to the robust benefits of a lower LDL target for cardiovascular protection. That said, the investigators comment that the lower LDL observed in their cohort was not likely due to treatment with cholesterol-lowering therapies—as only 2% of included patients were on therapy—and the effect persisted after exclusion of these patients, although these results are not shown. As Dr. Schiele also indicates, the investigators did not report on whether lipid-lowering therapy in the small number of treated patients influenced the effect on ICH. Unfortunately, as this was a large community-based cohort, statin use was not specifically collected. Therefore, any analysis estimating the effect of statin use on ICH could not be performed. Wenqin Guo also comments on the controversial nature of these findings, referencing a 2012 meta-analysis of 31 randomized clinical trials evaluating outcomes of patients randomized to statins, which concluded that there was no relationship between statin use and ICH. Drs. Sampietro et al. also caution the interpretation of the findings in this report and encourage clinicians to consider alternative lipid-lowering therapies—such as PCSK-9 inhibitors—which have not been shown to increase the risk of ICH. Although the results of this observational study add to our understanding of the relationship between lower serum LDL levels and the risk of an index ICH event, and are applauded by Noda and Iso in their comment, there is universal agreement that the clinical relevance of this small risk should be weighed against the large benefit of lipid-lowering therapies in at-risk populations.
Rising to the triple challenge of covid-19, Brexit, and climate change

Anderson and colleagues discuss the need to mitigate the longer term effects of the covid-19 pandemic in an equitable way.1 Plans for the United Kingdom need to tackle the triple public health challenge it faces from covid-19, climate change, and Brexit. The pandemic and measures to control it are exposing interwoven relationships between wellbeing, inequalities, the economy, the environment, and society as …
Two glutamate- and pH-regulated Ca2+ channels are required for systemic wound signaling in Arabidopsis

The propagation of systemic wound signals in plants requires pH-sensitive, Ca2+-permeable glutamate receptors. Glutamate-dependent systemic signaling in plants Upon wounding, plants generate systemic Ca2+ waves and electrical signals that propagate from the wound site to distal tissues (see the Focus by Fichman et al.). The glutamate receptor–like proteins GLR3.3 and GLR3.6 are required for leaf-to-leaf systemic wound signals in Arabidopsis thaliana. Shao et al. found that wounding or the application of glutamate induced root-to-shoot Ca2+ and electrical signaling in Arabidopsis, which required GLR3.3, GLR3.6, and inhibition of the proton pump AHA1. In cultured mammalian cells, GLR3.3 and GLR3.6 functioned as pH-sensitive, glutamate-gated Ca2+ channels. These findings suggest that wounding induces both the leakage of glutamate from the phloem into the apoplastic space and an increase in the apoplastic pH, leading to the activation of GLRs and the generation of systemic Ca2+ waves and electrical signals. Plants defend against herbivores and nematodes by rapidly sending signals from the wounded sites to the whole plant. We investigated how plants generate and transduce these rapidly moving, long-distance signals referred to as systemic wound signals. We developed a system for measuring systemic responses to root wounding in Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that root wounding or the application of glutamate to wounded roots was sufficient to trigger root-to-shoot Ca2+ waves and slow wave potentials (SWPs). Both of these systemic signals were inhibited by either disruption of both GLR3.3 and GLR3.6, which encode glutamate receptor–like proteins (GLRs), or constitutive activation of the P-type H+-ATPase AHA1. We further showed that GLR3.3 and GLR3.6 displayed Ca2+-permeable channel activities gated by both glutamate and extracellular pH. Together, these results support the hypothesis that wounding inhibits P-type H+-ATPase activity, leading to apoplastic alkalization. This, together with glutamate released from damaged phloem, activates GLRs, resulting in depolarization of membranes in the form of SWPs and the generation of cytosolic Ca2+ increases to propagate systemic wound signaling.
Cancer cells with defective oxidative phosphorylation require endoplasmic reticulum–to–mitochondria Ca2+ transfer for survival

Mitochondrial Ca2+ influx promotes oxidative phosphorylation–independent pathways to enable cancer cell survival. Staying alive without oxidative phosphorylation Oxidative phosphorylation is used by many cell types to produce ATP and requires low-level, constitutive Ca2+ flow from the ER to the mitochondria. Cardenas et al. found that this ER-to-mitochondria Ca2+ flow was critical for the survival of cells defective in oxidative phosphorylation, a phenotype that is common in cancer cells. In the absence of oxidative phosphorylation, important metabolites can be generated through reductive carboxylation, a pathway that requires the Ca2+-sensitive enzyme α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (αKGDH) and NADH. Manipulations that blocked ER-to-mitochondria Ca2+ flow resulted in suppression of αKGDH activity, increases in the NAD+/NADH ratio, and enhanced autophagy that failed to promote cell survival. These results highlight that mitochondrial Ca2+ influx regulates metabolic pathways in addition to oxidative phosphorylation, which could be targeted in specific cancer subtypes. Spontaneous Ca2+ signaling from the InsP3R intracellular Ca2+ release channel to mitochondria is essential for optimal oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and ATP production. In cells with defective OXPHOS, reductive carboxylation replaces oxidative metabolism to maintain amounts of reducing equivalents and metabolic precursors. To investigate the role of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in regulating bioenergetics in these cells, we used OXPHOS-competent and OXPHOS-defective cells. Inhibition of InsP3R activity or mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake increased α-ketoglutarate (αKG) abundance and the NAD+/NADH ratio, indicating that constitutive endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–to–mitochondria Ca2+ transfer promoted optimal αKG dehydrogenase (αKGDH) activity. Reducing mitochondrial Ca2+ inhibited αKGDH activity and increased NAD+, which induced SIRT1-dependent autophagy in both OXPHOS-competent and OXPHOS-defective cells. Whereas autophagic flux in OXPHOS-competent cells promoted cell survival, it was impaired in OXPHOS-defective cells because of inhibition of autophagosome-lysosome fusion. Inhibition of αKGDH and impaired autophagic flux in OXPHOS-defective cells resulted in pronounced cell death in response to interruption of constitutive flux of Ca2+ from ER to mitochondria. These results demonstrate that mitochondria play a fundamental role in maintaining bioenergetic homeostasis of both OXPHOS-competent and OXPHOS-defective cells, with Ca2+ regulation of αKGDH activity playing a pivotal role. Inhibition of ER-to-mitochondria Ca2+ transfer may represent a general therapeutic strategy against cancer cells regardless of their OXPHOS status.
Dietary carotenoids and skin melanin content influence the coloration of farmed red porgy (Pagrus pagrus)

The present study investigates the effects of dietary carotenoid sources on the coloration of the red porgy, Pagrus pagrus. Red porgies (131.9 ± 16.2 g; mean ± SD) were fed for 12 weeks on five different diets supplemented with red carotenoids (mainly astaxanthin esters) supplied from Haematococcus pluvialis algae and yellow carotenoids (mainly β-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin) supplied from Alfalfa, Medicago sativa L. and Spirulina, Spirulina pacifica. The carotenoid-supplemented diets did not have any marked effect on the growth rate, the feed conversion ratio, the daily feeding rate, or the hepatosomatic index of red porgy. The biochemical indices measured in plasma including cholesterol, total proteins, glucose, lactate, phospholipids, non-esterified fatty acids, triglycerides, and thyroid hormones did not differ significantly among groups. Diet did not affect significantly the melanophore-area coverage, the melanin skin concentration and skin lightness. Carotenoid-supplemented diets affected significantly the carotenoid deposition in the skin, the presence and distribution of erythorphores and xanthophores, and skin hue and chroma. Overall, data have shown the efficacy of Haematococcus algae in promoting a reddish coloration in red porgy.
Promoting Mental Health and Psychological Thriving in University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Three Well-Being Interventions

This study aimed to address the decline in mental health on U.S. university campuses by examining the effects of three interventions. University students suffer from high levels of anxiety, depression, and suicide. Counseling centers on university campuses are struggling to meet increased demand. The cost to students and universities could be buffered by offering preventative, psychoeducational, and skill-building training programs that promote mental health and psychological thriving. To date, the research literature has not yielded systematically evaluated and recommendable preventative mental health and well-being programs for university students. In a registered, randomized controlled trial, 131 university students were either placed in a non-intervention control group (N = 47) or received training in one of three 30-hour, eight-week semester-long well-being programs: SKY Campus Happiness (“SKY”; N = 29), Foundations of Emotional Intelligence (“EI”; N = 21) or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (“MBSR”; N = 34). Compared to the control group and controlling for variance of baseline measurements and multiple comparisons, SKY Campus Happiness showed the greatest impact, benefiting six outcomes: depression, stress, mental health, mindfulness, positive affect and social connectedness. EI benefited one outcome: mindfulness. The MBSR group showed no change. Delivering SKY or EI to university students may be a cost-effective and efficient way to proactively and preventatively address mental health for university students and reduce the financial strain on universities.
Losing Money and Motivation: Effects of Loss Incentives on Motivation and Metacognition in Younger and Older Adults

Incentives are usually expected to increase motivation and cognitive control and to thereby improve performance. A small but growing number of studies have begun to investigate whether the effects of incentive on cognitive performance differ for younger vs. older adults. Most have used attention and cognitive control paradigms, trial-wise implementation of incentive condition, and gain incentives (reward), with only a very few investigating the effects of loss incentives. The present study takes a complementary approach: We tested younger and older adults in a working memory paradigm with loss incentives implemented session-wide (between subjects). We also included self-report measures to ask how loss incentive affected participants’ perceptions of the mental demand of the task, as well as their perceived effort, frustration, motivation, distraction, and metacognitive judgments of how well they had performed. This allowed us to test the disparate predictions of different theoretical views: the intuitive hypothesis that incentive should increase motivation and performance, the motivational shift proposal that older adults are especially motivated to avoid losses (Freund and Ebner, 2005), a heuristic “positivity effect” perspective that older adults ignore losses (Brassen et al., 2012; Williams et al., 2017), and a more nuanced view that suggests that when negative information is unavoidable and increases perceived costs, older adults may instead disengage from the situation (Charles, 2010; Hess, 2014). The results seemed most consistent with the more nuanced view of the positivity effect. While neither group showed incentive-related performance differences, both younger and older adults reported greater perceived demand and frustration under loss incentive, especially in the most challenging conditions. Loss incentive increased the accuracy of immediate metacognitive judgments, but reduced the accuracy of later, more global judgments of competency for older adults. Self-report measures suggested that the loss incentive manipulation was distracting to young adults and demotivating for older adults. The results suggest a need for caution in generalizing from existing studies to everyday life, and that additional studies parameterizing critical aspects of task design and incentive manipulation are needed to fully understand how incentives affect cognition and motivation in younger and older adults.
Involvement of Bcl-2 Activation and G1 Cell Cycle Arrest in Colon Cancer Cells Induced by Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Synthesized by Microwave-Assisted Hybrid Approach

The toxic effect of TiO2 nanoparticles (TNP) greatly varies with the variation in synthesis protocol followed. Any morphological alteration of TNPs affects their activity. In the present study, we report the detailed toxicological analysis of TNPs fabricated by a microwave irradiation–assisted hybrid chemical approach. The toxicological mechanism was studied in human colon cancer cell lines (HCT116). Results indicate that TNP induces oxidative stress on HCT116, which, in turn, causes mitochondrial membrane depolarization. We also observed activation of Bcl-2 and caspase-3 by Western blot analysis. This indicates TNPs induce mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis. Furthermore, G1 cell cycle arrest was observed by flow-cytometric analysis. This study provides an understanding of the mechanism of action for apoptosis induced by TNPs, which can be further used to design safe TNPs for various consumer products and also suggests that extensive research needs to be done on harmful effects of TNPs synthesized from different approaches before commercial application.
Diet and Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance of Breast Cancer: The Role of the Paternal Germline

The past decade has made evident that in addition to passing their genetic material at conception, parents also transmit a molecular memory of past environmental experiences, including nutritional status, to their progeny through epigenetic mechanisms. In the 1990s, it was proposed that breast cancer originates in utero. Since then, an overwhelming number of studies in human cohorts and animal models have provided support for that hypothesis. It is becoming clear, however, that exposure in the parent generation can lead to multigenerational and transgenerational inheritance of breast cancer. Importantly, recent data from our lab and others show that pre-conception paternal diets reprogram the male germline and modulate breast cancer development in offspring. This review explores the emerging evidence for transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of breast cancer focusing on studies associated with ancestral nutritional factors or related markers such as birth weight. We also explore paternal factors and the epigenetic mechanisms of inheritance through the male germline while also reviewing the existing literature on maternal exposures in pregnancy and its effects on subsequent generations. Finally, we discuss the importance of this mode of inheritance in the context of breast cancer prevention, the challenges, and outstanding research questions in the field.