Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The promotion of sleep wellness: Resilience as a protective factor

Objectives To evaluate the association between resilience, sleep quality, and health. Methods This cross-sectional study included 190 patients (Mean age = 51, SD = 15.57) recruited from the Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep and Wellness. Patients completed a modified version of the brief resilience scale (BRS) to assess characteristics of resilience and questions to assess aspects of mental health, physical health, sleep quality, and daytime functioning. Results Participants' average score on the BRS was 4.67 (SD = 1.32, range = 1.17–7), reflecting a high level of resilience. There was a significant gender difference in resilience levels for men (Mean = 5.04, SD = 1.14) and women (Mean = 4.30, SD = 1.38), such that men reported significantly higher levels of resilience compared to women (t (188) = 4.02, p < 0.001) [lower levels of resilience were significantly associated with higher levels of (current) fatigue and tiredness after adjusting for demographic, physical, and mental covariates. In those reporting between one and three mental health symptoms, high levels of resilience minimized the negative influence that these symptoms had on sleep quality. This minimizing effect was no longer evident in those experiencing >3 mental health symptoms, who also reported significantly higher symptoms of fatigue despite their high resilience scores. Conclusions This study emphasizes how resilience may affect the relationship between mental health and sleep quality in sleep patients. Resilience may further our understanding of the inter-relationships between sleep and the manifestation of physical health symptoms, a relationship that will likely heighten in relevance during personal and global crisis. An awareness of this interaction could be used as a proactive prevention and treatment strategy. In other words, incorporating methods to evaluate resilience in patients with mental illnesses regularly can be useful for predicting the potential manifestation and severity of sleep disturbance. Therefore, strategies that focus on promoting resilience could improve health and wellness.
Hinokitiol inhibits Aspergillus fumigatus by interfering with the cell membrane and cell wall

Hinokitiol (β-thujaplicin) is an important component of the essential oil extracted from Chamaecyparis obtuse, which prevents the decay and decomposition of temple and shrine buildings in Japan. Hinokiol has been shown to have a detrimental effect on various fungi such as Candida albicans and saprophytic fungi. However how hinokitiol works against Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) has not been claimed. This study aims to investigate the adverse effects of hinokitiol on the disruption of the cell wall and cell membrane of A. fumigatus and to explore possible potential mechanisms or pathways. According to our results, hinokitiol negatively altered mycelium morphology, growth density, and cell plasma composition content. When incubated with human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs), hinokitiol saw a safe effect with concentrations below 12 μg/ml. Hinokitiol was shown to increase the cell membrane’s permeability by decreasing the cell membrane’s ergosterol content. The integrity of the cell wall was disrupted, as well as a significant increase in chitin degradation and chitinase activity. As determined by RNA-seq results, subsequent analysis, and qRT-PCR, altered transcript levels of cell walls and cell membranes-related genes (such as eglC) illustrated how hinokitiol affected the genetic profile of A. fumigatus. With this study, we recommend hinokitiol as an effective anti-A. fumigatus agent by reducing the amounts of key components in the cell wall and membrane by preventing production and accelerating breakdown.
Epilepsy and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: An overview of etiology, prevalence, and treatment

Epilepsy and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are closely connected and commonly seen in both children and adults. Each of the disorders has major psychosocial and quality of life (QOL) effects, and their co-occurrence makes coping even more challenging for both the patients and their families. Moreover, an adverse effect of some anti-seizure medications can potentially induce or exacerbate symptoms of ADHD on the one hand, while some ADHD medications may increase seizure risk on the other. The combination of proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment may improve or even prevent many of the complications associated with these conditions. The objectives of this review are to present the complex relationship between epilepsy and ADHD, looking into the pathophysiological, anatomical, and functional perspectives along with the psychosocial and QOL influences and the recommended treatment approaches in accordance with the latest literature.
Culturing the desert microbiota

Over the last 30 years, the description of microbial diversity has been mainly based on culture-independent approaches (metabarcoding and metagenomics) allowing an in-depth analysis of microbial diversity that no other approach allows. Bearing in mind that culture-dependent approaches cannot replace culture-independent approaches, we have improved an original method for isolating strains consisting of “culturing” grains of sand directly on Petri dishes (grain-by-grain method). This method allowed to cultivate up to 10% of the bacteria counted on the surface of grains of the three sites studied in the Great Western Erg in Algeria (Timoudi, Béni Abbès, and Taghit), knowing that on average about 10 bacterial cells colonize each grain. The diversity of culturable bacteria (collection of 290 strains) predicted by 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that Arthrobacter subterraneus, Arthrobacter tecti, Pseudarthrobacter phenanthrenivorans, Pseudarthrobacter psychrotolerans, and Massilia agri are the dominant species. The comparison of the culture-dependent and -independent (16S rRNA gene metabarcoding) approaches at the Timoudi site revealed 18 bacterial genera common to both approaches with a relative overestimation of the genera Arthrobacter/Pseudarthrobacter and Kocuria, and a relative underestimation of the genera Blastococcus and Domibacillus by the bacterial culturing approach. The bacterial isolates will allow further study on the mechanisms of tolerance to desiccation, especially in Pseudomonadota (Proteobacteria).
Phylogeography of Francisella tularensis subspecies holarctica and epidemiology of tularemia in Switzerland

Tularemia, an endemic disease that mainly affects wild animals and humans, is caused by Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica (Fth) in Switzerland. The Swiss Fth population consist of multiple different subclades which are distributed throughout the country. The aim of this study is to characterize the genetic diversity of Fth in Switzerland and to describe the phylogeographic relationship of isolates by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. This analysis is combined with human surveillance data from reported cases over the last 10 years and in vitro and in silico antibiotic resistance tests to provide insight into the epidemiology of tularemia in Switzerland. We sequenced the whole genomes of 52 Fth strains of human or tick origin collected in Switzerland between 2009 and 2022 and analyzed together with all publicly available sequencing data of Swiss and European Fth. Next, we performed a preliminary classification with the established canonical single nucleotide polymorphism nomenclature. Furthermore, we tested 20 isolates from all main Swiss clades for antimicrobial susceptibility against a panel of antimicrobial agents. All 52 sequenced isolates from Switzerland belong to major clade B.6, specifically subclades B.45 and B.46, previously described in Western Europe. We were able to accurately reconstruct the population structure according to the global phylogenetic framework. No resistance to clinically recommended antibiotics could be identified in vitro or in silico in the western B.6 strains.
pyHeart4Fish: Chamber-specific heart phenotype quantification of zebrafish in high-content screens

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death. Of CVDs, congenital heart diseases are the most common congenital defects, with a prevalence of 1 in 100 live births. Despite the widespread knowledge that prenatal and postnatal drug exposure can lead to congenital abnormalities, the developmental toxicity of many FDA-approved drugs is rarely investigated. Therefore, to improve our understanding of drug side effects, we performed a high-content drug screen of 1,280 compounds using zebrafish as a model for cardiovascular analyses. Zebrafish are a well-established model for CVDs and developmental toxicity. However, flexible open-access tools to quantify cardiac phenotypes are lacking. Here, we provide pyHeart4Fish, a novel Python-based, platform-independent tool with a graphical user interface for automated quantification of cardiac chamber-specific parameters, such as heart rate (HR), contractility, arrhythmia score, and conduction score. In our study, about 10.5% of the tested drugs significantly affected HR at a concentration of 20 µM in zebrafish embryos at 2 days post-fertilization. Further, we provide insights into the effects of 13 compounds on the developing embryo, including the teratogenic effects of the steroid pregnenolone. In addition, analysis with pyHeart4Fish revealed multiple contractility defects induced by seven compounds. We also found implications for arrhythmias, such as atrioventricular block caused by chloropyramine HCl, as well as (R)-duloxetine HCl-induced atrial flutter. Taken together, our study presents a novel open-access tool for heart analysis and new data on potentially cardiotoxic compounds.
Brassinolide promotes interaction between chloroplasts and mitochondria during the optimization of photosynthesis by the mitochondrial electron transport chain in mesophyll cell protoplasts of Arabidopsis thaliana

The current experimental data unveils the role of brassinolide (BL), a phytohormone of class brassinosteroids (BRs), in augmenting the cross-talk between the mitochondrial electron transport chain (mETC) and chloroplasts to strengthen the efficiency of the Calvin-Benson cycle (CBC) for higher assimilation of carbon dioxide in the mesophyll cell protoplasts (MCP) of Arabidopsis thaliana. The outcome of total respiration (TR) and photosynthetic carbon assimilation (PCA) was monitored as O2 uptake under dark and NaHCO3-dependent O2 evolution under light, respectively, after pre-incubation of MCP at a broad spectrum of BL concentration from 0.05 pM to 5 pM at 25 °C and optimum light intensity of 1000 μmol m-2 s-1. The addition of optimal concentration (0.5 pM) of BL to MCP stimulated the (i) TR, (ii) PCA, and (iii) para-benzoquinone-dependent O2 evolution (PSII activity). Further, in response to BL, the enzyme activity or transcript levels of redox-regulated CBC enzymes and glucose-6-phosphate raised considerably. Also, the addition of BL to MCP remarkably accelerated the capacity of the cytochrome oxidase (COX) and alternative oxidase (AOX) pathways concurrently with an increase in total cellular pyruvate and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Besides, malate valve components (Malate, Chl-MDH, M-MDH) increased in response to BL. At the same time, the cellular redox ratios of pyridine nucleotides (NADPH and NADH) were kept low in the presence of BL. However, BL could not keep up the CBC activity of photosynthesis along with its associated light-activated enzymes/transcripts when mETC through COX or AOX pathway is restricted by antimycin A (AA) or salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM), respectively. In contrast, adding BL to MCP under restricted mETC showed aggravation in total cellular ROS, pyruvate, malate, and redox ratio of pyridine nucleotides with a concomitant increase in transcripts associated with malate valve and antioxidant systems. These results suggest that BL enhances the PCA by coordinating in cross-talk of chloroplasts and mitochondria to regulate the cellular redox ratio or ROS through the involvement of COX and AOX pathways along with the malate valve and antioxidant systems.
Executive functions in daily living skills: A study in adults with autism spectrum disorder

Introduction Adults with autism and adults with schizophrenia show difficulties in adaptive skills, especially those related to daily functioning. Some studies suggest that adaptive skills are associated with deficits in executive functions (EF), while others indicate that intelligence quotient (IQ) might also play a role. Literature suggests that autistic symptoms further affect adaptive skills. The interest of the current study, therefore, was to explore to what extent IQ, EFs as well as core autistic symptoms predict adaptive skills. Methods To do this, 25 controls, 24 adults with autism, and 12 with schizophrenia were assessed on IQ (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale), and executive functioning. The EF was measured with neuropsychological tasks (inhibition, updating, and task switching) and with the Dysexecutive-Spanish Questionnaire (DEX-Sp) which assessed everyday life EF problems. Core ASD symptoms were measured using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, the Autism Spectrum Quotient-Short version (AQ-S), and the Repetitive Behavior Questionnaire – 3 (RBQ-3). Results The results indicated EF difficulties in both, autism and schizophrenia. The IQ explained a high percentage of the variance found in adaptive skills, but only in the autism group. We can conclude, therefore, that high IQ is associated with low adaptive skills levels and EFs affect adaptive functioning in people with autism; however, this does not explain the difficulties in adaptive functioning in the schizophrenia group. Core features of autism assessed with self-report questionnaires (but not the ADOS-2) predicted low scores on the adaptive skills, only in the autism group. Discussion Both EF measures predicted adaptive skills scores in autism, but not in schizophrenia. Our results suggest that different factors affect the adaptive functioning in each disorder. For instance, the EFs should be a central focus for improvement, especially for individuals with autism.
Joint statement for assessing and managing high blood pressure in children and adolescents: Chapter 1. How to correctly measure blood pressure in children and adolescents

The joint statement is a synergistic action between HyperChildNET and the European Academy of Pediatrics about the diagnosis and management of hypertension in youth, based on the European Society of Hypertension Guidelines published in 2016 with the aim to improve its implementation. The first and most important requirement for the diagnosis and management of hypertension is an accurate measurement of office blood pressure that is currently recommended for screening, diagnosis, and management of high blood pressure in children and adolescents. Blood pressure levels should be screened in all children starting from the age of 3 years. In those children with risk factors for high blood pressure, it should be measured at each medical visit and may start before the age of 3 years. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is increasingly recognized as an important source of information as it can detect alterations in circadian and short-term blood pressure variations and identify specific phenotypes such as nocturnal hypertension or non-dipping pattern, morning blood pressure surge, white coat and masked hypertension with prognostic significance. At present, home BP measurements are generally regarded as useful and complementary to office and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure for the evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of antihypertensive treatment and furthermore remains more accessible in primary care than 24-h ambulatory blood pressure. A grading system of the clinical evidence is included.
The interaction of peptide inhibitors and Aβ protein: Binding mode analysis, inhibition of the formation of Aβ aggregates, and then exert neuroprotective effects

Introduction The misfolding and aggregation of β-amyloid (Aβ) easily form Aβ fibers, which are continuously deposited in the brain, leading to the massive generation of amyloid plaques, severely destroying neuronal connections, and promoting Alzheimer’s disease (AD) The occurrence and development of AD is one of the pathogenesis of AD. There is an urgent need to develop inhibitors against Aβ aggregation, which is hopefully a potential way to treat AD. Methods In this study, we first found the crystal structure of the Aβ1–42 receptor protein from the RCSB PDB protein structure database and used the SYBYL X2.0 software for molecular docking, and then used the Peptide Ranker, Innovagen, DPL, and ToxinPred online websites to perform peptides. Predict the activity score, toxicity and water solubility, and then calculate the affinity constant KD value of polypeptide and Aβ through Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) experiment. Subsequently, the CCK-8 kit method was used to determine the toxicity of different concentrations of peptides (3.125, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200 μM) to PC12 cells, and then the peptides and Aβ according to different concentration ratios (1:4, 1:2, 1:1, 1:0.5, 1:0.25, 0:4), this method is also used to detect the effect of peptides on Aβ-induced neurotoxicity. The thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence method was used to detect the effects of peptides (50 μM) on Aβ (25 μM) aggregation inhibitory effect. Results The results showed that the CScore of YVRHLKYVRHLK peptide molecule docking was 10.0608, the predicted activity score was 0.20, and the KD value was 5.385 × 10−5. The ThT and CCK-8 kit method found that the peptide itself is less toxic to PC12 cells at a concentration of 50 μM, and it has a significant inhibitory effect on the formation of Aβ1–42 aggregates when incubated with Aβ1–42 at a ratio of 1:1 (p < 0.05) and can significantly reduce the PC12 cytotoxicity induced by Aβ1–42 (p < 0.05). Conclusion In conclusion, the polypeptide YVRHLKYVRHLK designed in this study has a neuroprotective effect on PC12 cytotoxicity induced by Aβ1–42. Graphical Abstract
Dark septate endophyte Exophiala pisciphila promotes maize growth and alleviates cadmium toxicity

Dark septate endophytes (DSE) are typical root endophytes with the ability to enhance plant growth and tolerance to heavy metals, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, the physiological and molecular mechanisms of a DSE strain, Exophiala pisciphila, in mitigating cadmium (Cd, 20 mg/kg) toxicity in maize were investigated. Our results showed, under Cd stress, E. pisciphila inoculation enhanced the biomass of maize and reduced both inorganic and soluble forms of Cd (high toxicity) by 52.6% in maize leaves, which may be potentially contributing to Cd toxicity mitigation. Besides, E. pisciphila inoculation significantly affected the expression of genes involved in the signal transduction and polar transport of phytohormone, and then affected abscisic acid (ABA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) contents in maize roots, which was the main reason for promoting maize growth. In addition, E. pisciphila also made a 27% increase in lignin content by regulating the expression of genes involved in the synthesis of it, which was beneficial to hinder the transport of Cd. In addition, E. pisciphila inoculation also activated glutathione metabolism by the up-regulation of genes related to glutathione S-transferase. This study helps to elucidate the functions of E. pisciphila under Cd stress, sheds light on the mechanism of detoxifying Cd and provides new insights into the protection of crops from heavy metals.
Anti-Cholera toxin activity of selected polyphenols from Careya arborea, Punica granatum, and Psidium guajava

Introduction Careya arborea, Punica granatum, and Psidium guajava are traditionally used to treat diarrheal diseases in India and were reported to show anti-Cholera toxin activity from our earlier studies. As polyphenols are reported to neutralize Cholera toxin (CT), the present study investigated the inhibitory activity of selected polyphenols from these plants against CTB binding to GM1 receptor using in silico, in vitro, and in vivo approaches. Methods Molecular modelling approach was used to investigate the intermolecular interactions of selected 20 polyphenolic compounds from three plants with CT using DOCK6. Based on intermolecular interactions, two phenolic acids, Ellagic acid (EA) and Chlorogenic acid (CHL); two flavonoids, Rutin (RTN) and Phloridzin (PHD) were selected along with their respective standards, Gallic acid (GA) and Quercetrin (QRTN). The stability of docked complexes was corroborated using molecular dynamics simulation. Furthermore, in vitro inhibitory activity of six compounds against CT was assessed using GM1 ELISA and cAMP assay. EA and CHL that showed prominent activity against CT in in vitro assays were investigated for their neutralizing activity against CT-induced fluid accumulation and histopathological changes in adult mouse. Results and discussion The molecular modelling study revealed significant structural stability of the CT-EA, CT-CHL, and CT-PHD complexes compared to their respective controls. All the selected six compounds significantly reduced CT-induced cAMP levels, whereas EA, CHL, and PHD exhibited > 50% binding inhibition of CT to GM1. The EA and CHL that showed prominent neutralization activity against CT from in vitro studies, also significantly decreased CT-induced fluid accumulation and histopathological changes in adult mouse. Our study identified bioactive compounds from these three plants against CT-induced diarrhea.
Correlation between caries activity and salivary microbiota in preschool children

Early childhood caries (ECC) is the most common chronic infectious oral disease in preschool children worldwide. It is closely related to the caries activity (CA) of children. However, the distribution characteristics of oral saliva microbiomes in children with different CA are largely underexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate the microbial community in saliva of preschool children with different CA and caries status, and to analyze the difference of microbial community in saliva of children with different CA and its correlation with ECC. Subjects were divided into 3 groups based on the Cariostat caries activity test: Group H, high CA (n=30); Group M, medium CA (n = 30); Group L, low CA (n=30). Questionnaire survey was used to explore the related influencing factors of CA. According to the caries status (on the basis of decayed mising filled teeth), these subjects were divided into caries-free group (dmft=0, n=19), caries-low group (0 < dmft ≤ 4, n=27) and caries-high group (dmft > 4, n=44). Microbial profiles of oral saliva were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. There were significant differences in the microbial structure (P < 0.05). Scardovia and Selenomonas were the biomarkers of both H group and high caries group. The genus Abiotrophia and Lautropia were the biomarkers of both the L group and the low caries group, while the Lactobacillus and Arthrospira spp. were significantly enriched in the M group. The area under the ROC curve of the combined application of dmft score, age, frequency of sugary beverage intake, and the genus Scardovia, Selenomonas, and Campylobacter in screening children with high CA was 0.842. Moreover, function prediction using the MetaCyc database showed that there were significant differences in 11 metabolic pathways of salivary microbiota among different CA groups. Certain bacteria genera in saliva such as Scardovia and Selenomonas may be helpful in screening children with high CA.