Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physicochemical Properties and Resistant Starch Content of Corn Tortilla Flours Refrigerated at Different Storage Times

The tortilla is a foodstuff that has a short shelf-life, causing great losses to the industry. The objective of this work was to evaluate, for the first time, the physicochemical properties and resistant starch (RS) content of flours. These were obtained from nixtamalized corn tortillas made with traditional and industrial (commercial) methods, stored at 4 °C for 7, 15, and 30 days. The flours were characterized by measuring particle size distribution, color, water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), viscosity, calcium, and RS content. Additionally, chemical proximate analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermal analysis were conducted. Storage at 4 °C increased the friability of tortillas and shifted the particle size distribution toward a greater content of coarse particles in corn tortilla flours. The commercial corn tortilla flours showed higher WAI and WSI values than the traditional corn tortilla flours. On the other hand, the traditional corn tortilla flours exhibited higher RS content values than commercial corn tortilla flours as well as peak viscosity. X-ray diffractograms revealed the presence of amylose-lipid complexes (RS5) in experimental samples. The thermograms evidenced three endotherms corresponding to corn starch gelatinization and melting of type I and type II amylose–lipid complexes.
Uterine Exteriorization Compared With In Situ Repair of Hysterotomy After Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE To compare the effect of exteriorized with in situ uterine repair on intraoperative nausea and vomiting during elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia using a phenylephrine infusion. METHODS This study was a randomized double-blinded controlled trial of 180 women undergoing elective cesarean delivery using a standardized anesthetic protocol. Patients were randomized to exteriorization (n=90) or in situ uterine repair (n=90). The spinal anesthetic, phenylephrine infusion, and blood pressure management were all standardized. The primary outcome was postdelivery intraoperative nausea and vomiting using a 4-point scale (0-3). A sample size of 80 patients per group was needed to demonstrate a 50% reduction in intraoperative nausea and vomiting with in situ repair. RESULTS From November 2015 through July 2018, 180 patients were enrolled. Incidence of postdelivery intraoperative nausea and vomiting was 39% in the exteriorization group compared with 22% in the in situ group (P=.01). Incidence of hypotension (80% vs 50%; P<.001) and tachycardia (33% vs 17%; P=.02) was significantly higher in the exteriorization group, and more phenylephrine boluses were administered to this group (median 4 boluses [first and third quartiles 1.25-7] vs 2 [0-4]; P<.001). The duration of surgery, blood loss, and postoperative hemoglobin decline were similar between groups. CONCLUSION In situ uterine repair for elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia with a phenylephrine infusion is associated with less postdelivery intraoperative nausea and vomiting. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02587013.
Functional Consequences of Metabolic Zonation in Murine Livers: Insights for an Old Story

Zone‐dependent differences in expression of metabolic enzymes along the portocentral axis of the acinus are a long‐known feature of liver metabolism. A prominent example is the preferential localization of the enzyme, glutamine synthetase, in pericentral hepatocytes, where it converts potentially toxic ammonia to the valuable amino acid, glutamine. However, with the exception of a few key regulatory enzymes, a comprehensive and quantitative assessment of zonal differences in the abundance of metabolic enzymes and, much more important, an estimation of the associated functional differences between portal and central hepatocytes is missing thus far.
A Review of State Guidelines for Elective Orthopaedic Procedures During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in widespread cancellation of elective orthopaedic procedures. The guidance coming from multiple sources frequently has been difficult to assimilate as well as dynamic, with constantly changing standards. We seek to communicate the current guidelines published by each state, to discuss the impact of these guidelines on orthopaedic surgery, and to provide the general framework used to determine which procedures have been postponed at our institution. Methods: An internet search was used to identify published state guidelines regarding the cancellation of elective procedures, with a publication cutoff of March 24, 2020, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Data collected included the number of states providing guidance to cancel elective procedures and which states provided specific guidance in determining which procedures should continue being performed as well as to orthopaedic-specific guidance. Results: Thirty states published guidance regarding the discontinuation of elective procedures, and 16 states provided a definition of “elective” procedures or specific guidance for determining which procedures should continue to be performed. Only 5 states provided guidelines specifically mentioning orthopaedic surgery; of those, 4 states explicitly allowed for trauma-related procedures and 4 states provided guidance against performing arthroplasty. Ten states provided guidelines allowing for the continuation of oncological procedures. Conclusions: Few states have published guidelines specific to orthopaedic surgery during the COVID-19 outbreak, leaving hospital systems and surgeons with the responsibility of balancing the benefits of surgery with the risks to public health.
Bioinformatic identification of hub genes and key pathways in neutrophils of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome

Abstract Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized as a neutrophil-dominant disorder without effective pharmacological interventions. Knowledge of neutrophils in ARDS patients at the transcriptome level is still limited. We aimed to identify the hub genes and key pathways in neutrophils of patients with ARDS. The transcriptional profiles of neutrophils from ARDS patients and healthy volunteers were obtained from the GSE76293 dataset. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between ARDS and healthy samples were screened using the limma R package. Subsequently, functional and pathway enrichment analyses were performed based on the database for annotation, visualization, and integrated discovery (DAVID). The construction of a protein–protein interaction network was carried out using the search tool for the retrieval of interacting genes (STRING) database and the network was visualized by Cytoscape software. The Cytoscape plugins cytoHubba and MCODE were used to identify hub genes and significant modules. Finally, 136 upregulated genes and 95 downregulated genes were identified. Gene ontology analyses revealed MHC class II plays a major role in functional annotations. SLC11A1, ARG1, CHI3L1, HP, LCN2, and MMP8 were identified as hub genes, and they were all involved in the neutrophil degranulation pathway. The MAPK and neutrophil degranulation pathways in neutrophils were considered as key pathways in the pathogenesis of ARDS. This study improves our understanding of the biological characteristics of neutrophils and the mechanisms underlying ARDS, and key pathways and hub genes identified in this work can serve as targets for novel ARDS treatment strategies.
A Method for Chlorophyll-a and Suspended Solids Prediction through Remote Sensing and Machine Learning †

Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and chlorophyll-a concentration are two critical parameters to monitor water quality. Since directly collecting samples for laboratory analysis can be expensive, this paper presents a methodology to estimate this information through remote sensing and Machine Learning (ML) techniques. TSS and chlorophyll-a are optically active components, therefore enabling measurement by remote sensing. Two study cases in distinct water bodies are performed, and those cases use different spatial resolution data from Sentinel-2 spectral images and unmanned aerial vehicles together with laboratory analysis data. In consonance with the methodology, supervised ML algorithms are trained to predict the concentration of TSS and chlorophyll-a. The predictions are evaluated separately in both study areas, where both TSS and chlorophyll-a models achieved R-squared values above 0.8.
Are Patients with Active Cancer and Those with History of Cancer Carrying the Same Risks of Recurrent VTE and Bleeding While on Anticoagulants?

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) are now recommended for the treatment of cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) based on the results of dedicated trials demonstrating that DOAC are non-inferior to low molecular weight heparins in preventing recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in this population. The definition of “cancer patient” differs substantially among studies. Whether patients with active cancer and those with a history of cancer (HOC) carry the same risks of recurrent VTE and bleeding remains unclear. Few studies reported data on the efficacy and safety of anticoagulants according to active cancer or HOC categories. While in subgroup analyses of EINSTEIN and HOKUSAI the rates of recurrent VTE and bleeding did not differ between these categories, results from a subgroup analysis of AMPLIFY, from HOKUSAI-Cancer, and from the COMMAND cohort suggest that HOC patients might have a lower bleeding risk than active cancer patients. Whether the inclusion of HOC patients in CAT studies might introduce some bias by decreasing the rates of both recurrent VTE and bleeding remains an unanswered issue since no dedicated prospective study addressed this question. A strict definition of active cancer should be used in further trials.
Mental health burden for the public affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in China: Who will be the high-risk group?

ABSTRACT In December, 2019, an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, China and spread rapidly to other parts of China and around the world. We aimed to identify high-risk groups whose mental health conditions were vulnerable to the COVID-19 outbreak. Data were collected from 7,236 self-selected participants measured by anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality. The overall prevalence of anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and poor sleep quality were 35.1%, 20.1%, and 18.2%, respectively. People aged < 35 years reported a higher prevalence of anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms than people aged ≥ 35 years. Healthcare workers have the highest rate of poor sleep compared to other occupations. Healthcare workers/younger people who spent a high level of time (≥ 3 hours/day) had a particular higher prevalence of anxiety symptoms than in those who spent less time (< 1 hours/day and 1-2 hours/day) on the outbreak. During the COVID-19 outbreak, healthcare workers and younger people were at an especially high-risk of displaying psychological impact when they spent too much time thinking about the outbreak. Continuous monitoring of the psychological consequences for high-risk population should become routine as part of targeted interventions during times of crisis.I
Distinct locomotor precursors in newborn babies

Significance It is commonly thought that human locomotor development stems from a single precursor behavior, consisting of alternating flexor–extensor movements, such as kicking or stepping on ground. According to this view, kicking and stepping are identical movement patterns generated by the same neural mechanisms. Here we show that the neuromuscular modules of neonatal kicking and stepping are different, presumably related to different neural mechanisms. Kicking involves an adult-like number of temporal activation patterns, whose association with specific sets of muscles varies across movements. Ground-stepping involves a limited number of activation patterns, each associated with a stable muscle synergy. Since neonatal kicking and ground-stepping seem to anticipate subsequent developmental changes of locomotion in human babies, they might represent distinct locomotor antecedents. Mature locomotion involves modular spinal drives generating a set of fundamental patterns of motoneuron activation, each timed at a specific phase of locomotor cycles and associated with a stable muscle synergy. How locomotor modules develop and to what extent they depend on prior experience or intrinsic programs remains unclear. To address these issues, we herein leverage the presence at birth of two types of locomotor-like movements, spontaneous kicking and weight-bearing stepping. The former is expressed thousands of times in utero and postnatally, whereas the latter is elicited de novo by placing the newborn on the ground for the first time. We found that the neuromuscular modules of stepping and kicking differ substantially. Neonates kicked with an adult-like number of temporal activation patterns, which lacked a stable association with systematic muscle synergies across movements. However, on the ground neonates stepped with fewer temporal patterns but all structured in stable synergies. Since kicking and ground-stepping coexist at birth, switching between the two behaviors may depend on a dynamic reconfiguration of the underlying neural circuits as a function of sensory feedback from surface contact. We tracked the development of ground-stepping in 4- to 48-mo-old infants and found that, after the age of 6 mo, the number of temporal patterns increased progressively, reaching adult-like conformation only after independent walking was established. We surmise that mature locomotor modules may derive by combining the multiple patterns of repeated kicking, on the one hand, with synergies resulting from fractionation of those revealed by sporadic weight-bearing stepping, on the other hand.
Analysis of Foveal Microvascular Abnormalities in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

ABSTRACT Purpose: To analyze the abnormalities of foveal microvasculature in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: A cross-sectional study of 41 eyes of patients diagnosed with SLE and 40 eyes of healthy controls. Sections measuring 6 mm×6 mm centered on the fovea were obtained using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Results: The area and perimeter of foveal avascular zone (FAZ) in SLE patients were greater than those in controls (both p < .05). The parafoveal vessel densities in the deep capillary plexus (DCP) of SLE patients were significantly decreased than those in controls (p < .001). There was a negative correlation between SLE disease activity index and parafoveal vessel density in DCP (p < .05). Conclusion: Enlargement of the FAZ and decline of the parafoveal vessel density of DCP were revealed by OCTA in patients with SLE. Moreover, a negative correlation between parafoveal vessel density in DCP and disease activity index was detected in SLE patients.
Appropriately Selected Nerve in Suspected Leprous Neuropathy Yields High Positive Results for Mycobacterium leprae DNA by Polymerase Chain Reaction Method.

Identification of Mycobacterium leprae DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a reliable and an affordable method to confirm leprosy. DNA from 87 nerve samples (56 from paraffin blocks and 26 fresh samples) was extracted. Mycobacterium leprae DNA was amplified by PCR from 80/87 (92%) specimens. Patients were seen over a period of 11 years (2007-2019), and leprosy was diagnosed based on clinical and characteristic histopathology findings. The clinical diagnostic possibilities were as follows: leprous neuropathy in 73/80 (91.3%), mononeuritis multiplex of unknown etiology in four (5.0%), vasculitic neuropathy in two (2.5%), and distal symmetric sensory motor neuropathy in one (1.3%). The biopsied nerves were as follows: superficial radial = 34 (42.6%), dorsal cutaneous branch of ulnar = 19 (23.8%), sural = 18 (22.5%), and superficial peroneal = 9 (11.3%), and corresponding neurological deficits were recorded in 77 (96.3%) cases. The histopathological diagnoses in total group were as follows: (borderline tuberculoid = 52, TT = 8, BL = 8, BB = 3, nonspecific inflammation = 3, healed/fibrosed = 4, and axonopathy = 2). AFB was demonstrated in 11 (13.7%) samples. For comparison, 31 clinically and histopathologically defined non-leprous disease control nerves (inherited neuropathy = 20, vasculitis = 8, and nutritional neuropathy = 3) subjected to PCR were negative for M. leprae DNA. In most instances, there are multiple thickened peripheral nerves in suspected cases of leprosy, but neurological deficits pertaining to the thickened nerve are not as widespread. The current findings emphasize the importance of selecting the most appropriate nerve for biopsy to obtain a positive PCR result. We infer that clinical, histopathological, and PCR tests complement each other to help achieve a definitive diagnosis of leprosy particularly in pure neuritic leprosy and in leprous neuropathy with negative skin smears/biopsy.
The Correlation of Magee EquationsTM and Oncotype DX® Recurrence Score From Core Needle Biopsy Tissues in Predicting Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in ER+ and HER2- Breast Cancer.

Objective Oncotype DX® recurrence score (RS) can be predicted from Magee EquationsTM (MS) postoperatively. The aim of this study is to investigate correlation of MS with RS from pretreatment core needle biopsy (CNB) tissues, and their clinical usefulness in prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) in estrogen receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (ER+/HER2-) breast cancer (BC). Materials and Methods Pretreatment CNB tissue samples from 60 patients with ER+/HER2- invasive BC were analyzed for MS and RS correlation. MS and RS were categorized as follows: low (<18), intermediate (18-30), and high (≥ 31). Percentage Tumor size Reduction (%TR) was used to assess tumor response to NCT, and substantial %TR was defined as at least 50% reduction (≥50%TR). Correlation between MS and RS, and predictive factors for the ≥50%TR achievement were assessed. Results MS and RS represented a strong correlation (Spearman's correlation; r=0.58, p<0.0001) as a continuous variable. As a categorical variable, the concordance between MS and RS was 43.3%, and it increased to 80% (r=0.61, p=0.003) with the exclusion of the intermediate risk categories. Although, there was pathologic complete response (pCR), MS showed the highest predictive power for the ≥50% TR achievement, none of the factors were statistically significant (p≥0.07). Conclusion Our study demonstrated that there was a strong correlation between MS and RS from pretreatment biopsy tissue samples in ER+ and HER2- invasive BC.
PIG‐A gene mutation as a genotoxicity biomarker in human population studies: An investigation in lead‐exposed workers

The rodent Pig‐a gene mutation assay has demonstrated remarkable sensitivity in identifying in vivo mutagens, while much less is known about the value of the human PIG‐A assay for risk assessment. To obtain more evidence of its potential as a predictive biomarker for carcinogen exposure, we investigated PIG‐A mutant frequencies (MFs), along with performing the Comet assay and micronucleus (MN) test, in 267 workers occupationally exposed to lead. Multivariate Poisson regression showed that total red blood cell PIG‐A MFs were significantly higher in lead‐exposed workers (10.90 ± 10.7 × 10−6) than in a general population that we studied previously (5.25 ± 3.6 × 10−6) (p < .0001). In contrast, there was no increase in lymphocyte MN frequency or in DNA damage as measured by percentage comet tail intensity in whole blood cells. Current year worker blood lead levels (BLL), an exposure biomarker, were elevated (232.6 ± 104.6 μg/L, median: 225.4 μg/L); a cumulative blood lead index (CBLI) also was calculated based on a combination of current and historical worker BLL data. Chi‐square testing indicated that PIG‐A MFs were significantly related to CBLI (p = .0249), but independent of current year BLL (p = .4276). However, % comet tail intensity and MN frequencies were better associated with current year BLL than CBLI. This study indicates that the PIG‐A assay could serve as biomarker to detect the genotoxic effects of lead exposure and demonstrates that a battery of genotoxicity biomarkers having mechanistic complementarity may be useful for comprehensively monitoring human carcinogenic risk.
Etude du mécanisme de recombinaison des intégrons, et leur utilisation comme générateur de combinaisons génétiques à des fins biotechnologiques

Les integrons sont des systemes de recombinaison genetique bacteriens qui jouent un role majeur dans la dissemination des genes de resistances aux antibiotiques. Ces plateformes genetiques sont capables de capturer des cassettes de gene et de les reorganiser afin de trouver des solutions adaptatives a un environnement changeant. Le mecanisme de recombinaison des integrons est original. Contrairement aux autres systemes de recombinaison specifique de site de la meme famille (catalyses par les recombinases a tyrosine), le site de recombinaison associe aux cassettes est reconnu sous forme d'ADN simple brin replie. Une large part de mon travail de these a ete dediee a la comprehension des mecanismes qui permettent a ces sites de recombinaison de passer de la forme stable qu'est la double helice d'ADN a la conformation leur permettant d'etre reconnu par la recombinase des integrons. L'autre partie de ma these a consiste au developpement d'un outil genetique utilisant les remarquables proprietes de recombinaison des integrons. Ce nouvel outil, nomme « integron synthetique » permet de generer un grand nombre de combinaisons de sequences heterologues in vivo. Il pourrait etre d'une grande utilite aux ingenieurs tentant d'assembler des reseaux et voies genetiques d'interet, par evolution dirigee.
Primary stability of narrow-diameter dental implants with a multiple condensing thread design placed in bone with and without osteotomes: An in vitro study.

BACKGROUND The authors hypothesized that there is no difference in the primary stability (PS) of multiple condensing thread design (MCTD) implants placed in simulated type-IV bone with and without using osteotomes. PURPOSE This in vitro study assessed the PS of narrow-diameter dental implants with MCTD placed in simulated soft (type-IV) bone with and without using osteotomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty MCT-designed implants (diameter: 3.0 mm; length: 11.5 mm) were placed using 800 rpm drilling speed in cellular rigid polyurethane foam bone-blocks that simulated type-IV bone. Prior to placement, the implants were divided into three groups (20 implants per group) depending upon the protocol used for osteotomy preparation-Group-1: Conventional drilling (CD); Group-2: CD followed by osseous condensation using a chisel-shaped tapered osteotome with maximum diameter of 3 mm; and Group-3: CD followed by osseous condensation using a cylindrical osteotome with maximum diameter of 3 mm. Abutments were connected to all implants and PS was recorded using resonance frequency analysis (RFA) and the periotest (PTV). Group comparisons were performed using analysis and Bonferroni post-hoc adjustment tests. Level of significance was set at P < . 05. RESULTS There was no statistically significant difference in the RFA values for the MCT-designed implants placed in groups 1, 2, and 3 (59.85 ± 0.72, 59.67 ± 0.76 and 59.42 ± 0.92, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in the PTV values for MCT-designed implants in groups 1, 2, and 3 (1.655 ± 0.82, 1.405 ± 0.57, and 1.078 ± 0.63, respectively). CONCLUSION The MCTD implants with narrow diameters have a high PS in artificial soft bone in vitro. Due to the condensation effect of the thread design, there is no need for additional condensation of the peri-osteotomy bone in order to improve implant stability.