Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes Induced by Pressure Processing on Immunoreactive Proteins of Tree Nuts

Tree nuts confer many health benefits due to their high content of vitamins and antioxidants, and they are increasingly consumed in the last few years. Food processing is an important industrial tool to modify allergenic properties of foods, in addition to ensuring safety and enhancing organoleptic characteristics. The effect of high pressure, without and with heating, on SDS-PAGE and immunodetection profile of potential allergenic proteins (anti-11S, anti-2S and anti-LTP) of pistachio, cashew, peanut, hazelnut, almond, and chestnut was investigated. Processing based on heat and/or pressure and ultra-high pressure (HHP, 300–600 MPa) without heating was applied. After treating the six tree nuts with pressure combined with heat, a progressive diminution of proteins with potential allergenic properties was observed. Moreover, some tree nuts proteins (pistachio, cashew, and peanut) seemed to be more resistant to technological processing than others (hazelnut and chestnut). High pressure combined with heating processing markedly reduce tree nut allergenic potential as the pressure and treatment time increases. HHP do not alter hazelnut and almond immunoreactivity.
Co‐expression of human calreticulin significantly improves the production of HIV gp140 and other viral glycoproteins in plants

Summary Plant molecular farming (PMF) is rapidly gaining traction as a viable alternative to the currently accepted paradigm of producing biologics. While the platform is potentially cheaper and more scalable than conventional manufacturing systems, expression yields and appropriate post‐translational modifications along the plant secretory pathway remain a challenge for certain proteins. Viral fusion glycoproteins in particular are often expressed at low yields in plants and, in some cases, may not be appropriately processed. Recently, however, transiently or stably engineering the host plant has shown promise as a strategy for producing heterologous proteins with more complex maturation requirements. In this study we investigated the co‐expression of a suite of human chaperones to improve the production of a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 soluble gp140 vaccine candidate in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. The co‐expression of calreticulin (CRT) resulted in a dramatic increase in Env expression and ameliorated the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response ‐ as evidenced by lower transcript abundance of representative stress‐responsive genes. The co‐expression of CRT similarly improved accumulation of glycoproteins from Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV), Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV), suggesting that the endogenous chaperone machinery may impose a bottleneck for their production. We subsequently successfully combined the co‐expression of human CRT with the transient expression of human furin, to enable the production of an appropriately cleaved HIV gp140 antigen. These transient plant host engineering strategies are a promising approach for the production of high yields of appropriately processed and cleaved viral glycoproteins.
Development and Function of γδT Cells in the Oral Mucosa

To successfully withstand a wide variety of microbial and mechanical challenges, the immune system of the oral mucosa is composed of tissue-resident and specially recruited leukocytes. These leukocytes facilitate the establishment and maintenance of local homeostasis but are also capable to cause oral pathologies when are unrestrained. γδT cells represent an important tissue-resident innate T-cell population in various mucosal and nonmucosal barrier tissues, in which they are ideally located to assist in immunosurveillance, tissue repair, and homeostasis. Whereas most works studying γδT cells were focused on tissues such as the skin and intestine, these cells in the oral mucosa were only recently thoroughly studied. The findings obtained by those studies appear to be both complementary and contradicting, likely reflecting differences in the experimental settings and the type of transgenic mouse modalities employed by each study. Nevertheless, oral γδT cells were shown to consist of developmentally distinct tissue-resident Vγ6 cells and circulating Vγ1 and Vγ4 subsets that are independently maintained in the oral mucosa. In the gingiva, a particularly challenging barrier tissue due to its proximity to the dental plaque, γδT cells are strategically positioned close to the plaque and represent the major source of IL-17. While this suggests that γδT cells might be involved in controlling the dental biofilm, conflicting data were reported in this regard. In vivo studies have shown that γδT cells either play a protective role during age-associated bone loss or, alternatively, have no impact in this process. Also, recent reports suggested opposing data concerning the impact of γδT cells in experimental periodontitis based on the ligature model. This review summarizes and discusses the most up-to-date literature on oral γδT cells, providing a balanced perspective regarding our current understanding on the development of oral γδT cells and their role under physiologic conditions and certain oral pathologies.
Sycp2 is essential for synaptonemal complex assembly, early meiotic recombination and homologous pairing in zebrafish spermatocytes

Meiotic recombination is essential for faithful segregation of homologous chromosomes during gametogenesis. The progression of recombination is associated with dynamic changes in meiotic chromatin structures. However, whether Sycp2, a key structural component of meiotic chromatin, is required for the initiation of meiotic recombination is still unclear in vertebrates. Here, we describe that Sycp2 is required for assembly of the synaptonemal complex and early meiotic events in zebrafish spermatocytes. Our genetic screening by N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea mutagenesis revealed that ietsugu (its), a mutant zebrafish line with an aberrant splice site in the sycp2 gene, showed a defect during meiotic prophase I. The its mutation appeared to be a hypomorphic mutation compared to sycp2 knockout mutations generated by TALEN mutagenesis. Taking advantage of these sycp2 hypomorphic and knockout mutant lines, we demonstrated that Sycp2 is required for the assembly of the synaptonemal complex that is initiated in the vicinity of telomeres in wild-type zebrafish spermatocytes. Accordingly, homologous pairing, the foci of the meiotic recombinases Dmc1/Rad51 and RPA, and γH2AX signals were largely diminished in sycp2 knockout spermatocytes. Taken together, our data indicate that Sycp2 plays a critical role in not only the assembly of the synaptonemal complex, but also early meiotic recombination and homologous pairing, in vertebrates.
Digital Calibration of Elements Mismatch in Multirate Predictive SAR ADCs

This paper presents a multirate predictive successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The main objective is to introduce digital frameworks for resolving the weaknesses of the previous predictive schemes in the context of the SAR ADC. The proposed SAR ADC compensates for the capacitive element mismatches, extends the input signal frequency using an adaptive digital predictive machine (ADPM), and relaxes the speed requirement through multirate implementation of the ADPM. As a consequence, the achievable sampling-rate can also be improved by optimizing the capacitors according to the thermal noise requirement. Behavioral simulation results, based on the Monte Carlo method, are provided for a 12-bit SAR ADC to verify the usefulness of the proposed approach. The simulation results indicate that the means of the spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) and the signal-to-noise and distortion ratio (SNDR) are 82.3 and 69.1 dB, respectively.
Fiber-specific white matter reductions in Parkinson hallucinations and visual dysfunction

Objective To investigate the microstructural and macrostructural white matter changes that accompany visual hallucinations and low visual performance in Parkinson disease, a risk factor for Parkinson dementia. Methods We performed fixel-based analysis, a novel technique that provides metrics of specific fiber-bundle populations within a voxel (or fixel). Diffusion MRI data were acquired from patients with Parkinson disease (n = 105, of whom 34 were low visual performers and 19 were hallucinators) and age-matched controls (n = 35). We used whole-brain fixel-based analysis to compare microstructural differences in fiber density (FD), macrostructural differences in fiber bundle cross section (FC), and the combined FD and FC (FDC) metric across all white matter fixels. We then performed a tract-of-interest analysis comparing the most sensitive FDC metric across 11 tracts within the visual system. Results Patients with Parkinson disease hallucinations exhibited macrostructural changes (reduced FC) within the splenium of the corpus callosum and the left posterior thalamic radiation compared to patients without hallucinations. While there were no significant changes in FD, we found large reductions in the combined FDC metric in Parkinson hallucinators within the splenium (>50% reduction compared to nonhallucinators). Patients with Parkinson disease and low visual performance showed widespread microstructural and macrostructural changes within the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum, bilateral posterior thalamic radiations, and left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. Conclusions We demonstrate specific white matter tract degeneration affecting posterior thalamic tracts in patients with Parkinson disease with hallucinations and low visual performance, providing direct mechanistic support for attentional models of visual hallucinations.
Adverse perinatal conditions and receiving a disability pension early in life

Objective The number of young adults on disability pension (DP) is increasing in European countries, creating a need to understand the related risk factors. This study aimed to determine whether adverse perinatal conditions are associated with receiving a DP early in life. Methods This longitudinal cohort study consisted of all persons (N = 453,223) born in Sweden during 1973–1977, observed from 1991 through 2010 when they were aged between 16 and 37 years. Statistics Sweden provided linked national data on the children and their parents. We used logistic regression to assess the association between perinatal health conditions (birth defect, Apgar score, and small for gestational age) and receiving a DP, adjusting for maternal education and the sex of the child. Results New recipients of DP were significantly more likely to have had a birth defect (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.74, 95% CI: 2.49–3.00), to have had low Apgar score (AOR 2.12, 95% CI: 1.77–2.52), to have been small for gestational age (AOR 1.73, 95% CI: 1.54–1.94) and to be females (AOR 1.55, 95% CI: 1.46–1.64). Higher maternal education was associated with lower odds of receiving a DP (AOR 0.74, 95% CI: 0.69–0.79) for those with high school education and (AOR 0.67, 95% CI: 0.59–0.75) for those with university education. Age-stratified analysis confirmed increased odds of receiving a DP among those with birth defects and small for gestational age, but this effect reduced with increasing age. Apgar score was significantly associated with starting to receive a DP at ages 16–18 and 19–29, but not at ages 30–33. Women had lower odds of receiving a DP at ages 16–18 (AOR 0.73, 95% CI: 0.64–0.85); however, this reversed from age 19 and upwards (AOR 1.53, 95% CI: 1.41–1.67) and (AOR 2.16, 95% CI: 1.95–2.40) for the age groups of 19–29 and 30–33, respectively. Persons with high maternal education were less likely to receive a DP regardless of age at receiving a DP. Conclusion Having a birth defect was the strongest indicator of receiving a DP during early adulthood, followed by small for gestational age and low Apgar score. Overall, the effects of the studied perinatal health conditions were pronounced in those who received a DP at 16–18 years, but this effect weakened with increasing age at receiving a DP. Our findings suggest that policies and programs geared at promoting optimal health at birth might contribute to a reduction in receiving a DP.
Beneficial Effects of Walnuts on Cognition and Brain Health

Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation have important roles in the aging process, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and other brain disorders. Amyloid beta protein (Aβ) is the main component of amyloid plaques in the brains of people with AD. Several studies suggest that Aβ increases the generation of free radicals in neurons, which leads to oxidative damage and cell death. Aβ can also induce neuroinflammation by increasing pro-inflammatory cytokines and enzymes. Walnuts contain several components that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Animal and human studies from our and other groups suggest that supplementation with walnuts in the diet may improve cognition and reduce the risk and/or progression of MCI and AD. In the transgenic AD mouse model (AD-tg), we have reported the beneficial effects of a diet with walnuts on memory, learning, motor coordination, anxiety, and locomotor activity. Human clinical trials have also suggested an association of walnut consumption with better cognitive performance and improvement in memory when compared to baseline in adults. Our recent study in AD-tg mice has shown that a walnut-enriched diet significantly improves antioxidant defense and decreases free radicals’ levels, lipid peroxidation, and protein oxidation when compared to a control diet without walnuts. These findings suggest that a diet with walnuts can reduce oxidative stress by decreasing the generation of free radicals and by boosting antioxidant defense, thus resulting in decreased oxidative damage to lipids and proteins. An in vitro study with synthetic Aβ showed that walnut extract can inhibit Aβ fibrillization and solubilize the preformed Aβ fibrils, suggesting an anti-amyloidogenic property of walnuts. Because it takes many years for cognitive impairment and dementia to develop, we suggest that early and long-term dietary supplementation with walnuts may help to maintain cognitive functions and may reduce the risk of developing, or delay the onset and/or slow the progression of, MCI and dementia by decreasing Aβ fibrillization, reducing oxidative damage, increasing antioxidant defense, and decreasing neuroinflammation. Furthermore, several animal and human studies have suggested that walnuts may also decrease the risk or progression of other brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and depression, as well as of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Together, these reports suggest the benefits of a walnut-enriched diet in brain disorders and in other chronic diseases, due to the additive or synergistic effects of walnut components for protection against oxidative stress and inflammation in these diseases.
Quality of life in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: the mediator role of psychological morbidity and disease activity

ABSTRACT Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) experience chronic symptoms that negatively impact their quality of life (QoL). This study analyzed the variables that contributed to QoL in patients with SLE, including the mediating role of psychological morbidity and disease activity. This study used a transversal design and included 104 women with SLE. Participants answered several instruments assessing fatigue, psychological morbidity (depression and anxiety), body image, disease activity, and quality of life. The results showed that disease activity, fatigue severity, psychological morbidity and body image were associated with all domains of QoL. Additionally, psychological morbidity and disease activity mediated the relationship between body image and psychological morbidity. Also, disease activity mediated the relationship between body image and fatigue severity. According to the results, intervention in patients with SLE should focus on patients’ psychological morbidity, particularly in the active phase of the disease. Body image, fatigue severity and psychological morbidity should be monitored in patients with SLE in order to promote QoL.
First Record on Sex Chromosomes in a Species of the Family Cynodontidae: Cynodon gibbus (Agassiz, 1829)

The fish family Cynodontidae belongs to the superfamily Curimatoidea, together with the Hemiodontidae, Serrasalmidae, Parodontidae, Prochilodontidae, Chilodontidae, Curimatidae, and Anostomidae. The majority of the species of this superfamily that have been analyzed to date have a diploid chromosome number of 2n = 54. Differentiated sex chromosomes (with female heterogamety) have been observed only in the Prochilodontidae, Parodontidae, and Anostomidae. The present study provides the first description of differentiated sex chromosomes in the cynodontid species Cynodon gibbus, which has a ZZ/ZW system, and shows that repetitive DNA has played a fundamental role in the differentiation of these sex chromosomes.
Complications After Distal Biceps Tendon Repair: A Systematic Review

Background: Distal biceps tendon injuries typically occur in the dominant arm of men in their fourth decade of life. Surgical repair restores flexion and supination strength, resulting in good functional outcome. The complication profile of each surgical approach and fixation technique has not been widely studied in the literature. Purpose: To report the rate of complications after repair of complete distal biceps ruptures, to classify them according to surgical approach and fixation technique, and to analyze risk factors and outcomes of the individual complications. Study Design: Systematic review. Methods: Studies published in English on primary repair of the distal biceps between January 1998 and January 2019 were identified. Data on complications were extracted and classified as major and minor for analysis. A quantitative synthesis of data was done to compare the complication rates between (1) limited anterior incision, extensile anterior incision, and double incision and (2) 4 fixation methods. Results: Seventy-two articles including 3091 primary distal biceps repairs were identified. The overall complication rate was 25% (n = 774). The major complication rate was 4.6% (n = 144) and included a 1.6% (n = 51) rate of posterior interosseous nerve injury; 0.3% (n = 10), median nerve injury; 1.4% (n = 43), rerupture; and a 0.1% (n = 4), synostosis. Brachial artery injury, ulnar nerve injury, compartment syndrome, proximal radius fracture, and chronic regional pain syndrome occurred at a rate of <0.1% each. The majority of nerve injuries resolved with an expectant approach. The minor complication rate was 20.4% (n = 630). The most common complication was lateral cutaneous nerve injury (9.2%, n = 283). An extensile single incision was associated with a higher rate of superficial radial nerve injury when compared to limited single incision(6% vs 2.1%, P = .002). Limited anterior single incision technique had a higher rate of lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve injury compared to extensile single incision. (9.7% vs 5.2%, P = .03). Synostosis occurred only with double incision. Fixation technique had no significant effect on rerupture rate and posterior interosseous nerve injury rate. Conclusion: This is the largest analysis of complications after distal biceps repair, indicating a major complication rate of 4.6%. This study provides valuable data with regard to the choice of technique, surgical approach, and rate of complications, which is essential for surgical planning and patient consent. Registration: CRD42017074066 (PROSPERO).
Secretome Analysis of Mouse Dendritic Cells Interacting with a Probiotic Strain of Lactobacillus gasseri

Probiotics play a key role in the modulation of the gut immune system in health and disease and their action is mediated by molecules exposed on the microorganism surface or secreted probiotic-derived factors. In particular, Lactobacillus gasseri OLL2809, a probiotic microorganism isolated from human feces, has the potential to modulate various immune responses. The dendritic cells (DCs) are considered the main players in orchestrating the immune response, and their contact with intestinal microbiota is crucial for the development and homeostasis of gut immunity. To gain a perspective on the molecular mechanisms involved in the maturation process of DCs and investigate factors that could modulate these processes, a differential proteomic analysis was performed on the secretome of immature DCs, mature DCs (mDCs, induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)), and immature DCs challenged with L. gasseri OLL2809 before treatment with LPS (LGmDCs). The maturation process of DCs was associated to profound changes in the protein secretome and probiotic pre-treatment led to a dramatic modulation of several secreted proteins of mDC, not only classical immune mediators (i.e., cytokines, complement factors, T cell Receptor ligands) but also proteins involved in the contractile and desmosome machineries. The latter data highlight a novel mechanism by which L. gasseri can modulate the maturation process of DCs, reinforcing the concept of a protective anti-inflammatory role ascribed to this probiotic strain.
Pre-differentiated smooth muscle-like adipose-derived stem cells for bladder engineering.

All organs of human body are a conglomerate of various cells types with multi-directional interplay between the different cells and the surrounding microenvironment, leading to a stable tissue formation, homeostasis and function. In order to develop a functional smooth muscle tissue, we need to simulate and create a multicellular microenvironment. The multi-lineage adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC), which can be easily harvested in large numbers, may provide an alternative cell source for the replacement of smooth muscle cells (SMC) in cell-based detrusor bioengineering therapeutic approaches. The aim of this study was to investigate whether pre-differentiated smooth muscle-like ADSC (pADSC) can support SMC to generate stable smooth muscle tissue trough remodeling of ECM and factor secretion. Rat SMC and pADSC were mono- and co-cultured in the cell ratios 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:5 (SMC-pADSC) and grown for up to two weeks in vitro. The expression of the SMC-specific markers alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA), calponin, myosin heavy chain 11 (MyH11) and smoothelin was assessed and cell proliferation and contractility analyzed. Proteomic analysis of the secretome (cell-cell contact were compared to a 1:1 non-contact co-culture) and the cell pellets was performed, with the focus on ECM deposition and remodeling, integrin expression and growth factor secretion. SMC and pADSC were strongly positive for all smooth muscle markers. After one and two weeks of culture, the 1:1 cell ratio developed a significantly higher number of smooth muscle organoids and improved contractility. These organoids were highly structured, consisting of an SMC core surrounded by a pADSC layer. The deposition of various EMC proteins, such as collagens 1a1, 1a2, 2a1, 3a1, 5a2, 6a2, 12a1 and fibrillin 1 was significantly increased. A decreased MMP3, MMP9 and MMP13 secretion, as well as an increased TIMP1 and TIMP2 secretion were found in the contact co-culture compared to the monoculture controls. SMC-pADSC 1:1 co-cultures exhibits an improved cell proliferation, contractility and organoid formation compared to all other ratios and monoculture, while retaining a stable phenotype that is comparable to the SMC monoculture. These effects are mediated by increased ECM deposition and tight ECM remodeling by the secreted MMP and TIMP.