Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
LF NMR spectroscopy analysis of water dynamics and texture of Gluten-Free bread with cricket powder during storage

The paper presents the effect of replacing starch (at 2%, 6% and 10%) with cricket powder (CP) on the water behavior studied by the 1H NMR method, as well as the texture of gluten-free bread during 6-day storage. It was noticed that the bread crumb containing CP has lower water transport rate than the control bread crumb, while concluding that 2% CP stabilizes water transport throughout the entire staling time range. The NMR analyzes showed that the initial T21 values are the higher, the more starch has been replaced with the CP, however, after 6 days of storage, all tested samples are characterized by similar values of the T21 parameter. A decrease in long component of spin-spin relaxation time T22 during storage was also observed. It has been noted that the replacement of starch to 2% and 6% CP causes an increase in the molecular dynamics of water. The less starch present, the greater the potential for bulk molecules to move. The observed changes at the molecular level resulted in macroscopic changes in the texture of the bread. After analyzing the hardness parameter of the tested breads, it was found that on the day of baking, bread without the addition of CP had significantly higher values of this parameter than breads with CP. For the sample without CP, the highest increase in total hardness change (123.93%) was noted during storage, which indicates the fastest texture change process. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that the use of cricket powder to enrich gluten-free bread can not only improve the nutritional value, but also effectively delay the process of bread staling.
Validity and precision of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for climacteric women using computational intelligence techniques

This study aimed to evaluate the validity and precision of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) for climacteric women using computational intelligence techniques. The instrument was applied to 873 women aged between 40 and 65 years. Considering the proposal to regroup the set of data related to the level of physical activity of climacteric women using the IPAQ, we used 2 algorithms: Kohonen and k-means, and, to evaluate the validity of these clusters, 3 indexes were used: Silhouette, PBM and Dunn. The questionnaire was tested for validity (factor analysis) and precision (Cronbach's alpha). The Random Forests technique was used to assess the importance of the variables that make up the IPAQ. To classify these variables, we used 3 algorithms: Suport Vector Machine, Artificial Neural Network and Decision Tree. The results of the tests to evaluate the clusters suggested that what is recommended for IPAQ, when applied to climacteric women, is to categorize the results into two groups. The factor analysis resulted in three factors, with factor 1 being composed of variables 3 to 6; factor 2 for variables 7 and 8; and factor 3 for variables 1 and 2. Regarding the reliability estimate, the results of the standardized Cronbach's alpha test showed values between 0.63 to 0.85, being considered acceptable for the construction of the construct. In the test of importance of the variables that make up the instrument, the results showed that variables 1 and 8 presented a lesser degree of importance and by the analysis of Accuracy, Recall, Precision and area under the ROC curve, there was no variation when the results were analyzed with all IPAQ variables but variables 1 and 8. Through this analysis, we concluded that the IPAQ, short version, has adequate measurement properties for the investigated population.
Intervalo hídrico ótimo em um Latossolo vermelho cultivado em sistema semeadura direta por 25 anos

Least Limiting Water Range (LLWR) integrates soil physical properties related to crop growth and corresponds to the interval between the upper and lower limits of water content in the soil within which limitations to root growth are minimal. In agricultural areas, soil management can lead to changes in its structure, mainly due to compaction and, subsequently, bulk density can reach values outside the limits in which conditions are ideal for plant growth. Therefore, the aim of this study was to use the LLWR to evaluate soil physical quality and to identify areas that restrict plant growth, with a view toward localized management. This study was carried out using the LLWR to evaluate soil physical quality so as to identify areas in which bulk density is higher than critical bulk density in an Oxisol under no-tillage system since 1985, in Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Undisturbed samples were collected at the depths of 0.00-0.10, 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.30 m to obtain the following attributes: bulk density, penetration resistance curve, water retention curve and soil porosity. Data on spatial variability of bulk density and critical bulk density were analyzed by semivariograms to map these attributes. The LLWR decreased in depth and was limited at the top by the moisture at field capacity and at the bottom by resistance to penetration at the three depths studied. Critical soil density was 1.42 Mg m-3 for the 0.00-0.10 m layer and 1.39 and 1.41 Mg m-3, respectively, for the 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.30 m layers. It was observed that soil bulk density was higher than critical soil density in the 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers in the lower portions of the field, indicating a critical condition for plant growth. The use of LLWR, associated to maps of spatial variability of soil bulk density to determine points at which it is higher than critical soil bulk density aids decision making for intervention or modification of soil tillage, while the selection criterion of the critical value of penetration resistance can contribute to the interpretation of field results.
Mtor inhibition by INK128 extends functions of the ovary reconstituted from germline stem cells in aging and premature aging mice

Stem cell transplantation has been generally considered as promising therapeutics in preserving or recovering functions of lost, damaged, or aging tissues. Transplantation of primordial germ cells (PGCs) or oogonia stem cells (OSCs) can reconstitute ovarian functions that yet sustain for only short period of time, limiting potential application of stem cells in preservation of fertility and endocrine function. Here, we show that mTOR inhibition by INK128 extends the follicular and endocrine functions of the reconstituted ovaries in aging and premature aging mice following transplantation of PGCs/OSCs. Follicular development and endocrine functions of the reconstituted ovaries by transplanting PGCs into kidney capsule of the recipient mice were maintained by INK128 treatment for more than 12 weeks, in contrast to the controls for only about 4 weeks without receiving the mTOR inhibitors. Comparatively, rapamycin also can prolong the ovarian functions but for limited time. Furthermore, our data reveal that INK128 promotes mitochondrial function in addition to its known function in suppression of immune response and inflammation. Taken together, germline stem cell transplantation in combination with mTOR inhibition by INK128 improves and extends the reconstituted ovarian and endocrine functions in reproductive aging and premature aging mice.
Metabolic engineering of rice endosperm towards higher vitamin B1 accumulation

Summary Rice is a major food crop to approximately half of the human population. Unfortunately, the starchy endosperm, which is the remaining portion of the seed after polishing, contains limited amounts of micronutrients. Here, it is shown that this is particularly the case for thiamin (vitamin B1). Therefore, a tissue‐specific metabolic engineering approach was conducted, aimed at enhancing the level of thiamin specifically in the endosperm. To achieve this, three major thiamin biosynthesis genes, THIC, THI1 and TH1, controlled by strong endosperm‐specific promoters, were employed to obtain engineered rice lines. The metabolic engineering approaches included ectopic expression of THIC alone, in combination with THI1 (bigenic) or combined with both THI1 and TH1 (trigenic). Determination of thiamin and thiamin biosynthesis intermediates reveals the impact of the engineering approaches on endosperm thiamin biosynthesis. The results show an increase of thiamin in polished rice up to threefold compared to WT, and stable upon cooking. These findings confirm the potential of metabolic engineering to enhance de novo thiamin biosynthesis in rice endosperm tissue and aid in steering future biofortification endeavours.
The Delay of Diagnosis in Spondyloarthropathy Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in Saudi Arabia

Objective Seronegative spondyloarthropathies (SpA) are a group of rheumatological disorders that share the common feature of being rheumatoid factor negative. Inflammation of the sacroiliac joint is considered the hallmark of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). On the other hand, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) affects patients with psoriasis. It is characterized by asymmetrical oligoarticular arthritis. Involvement of the distal interphalangeal joint is a unique feature of PsA. Enteropathic arthritis (EnA) involves the presence of inflammatory arthropathy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These diseases are strongly associated with the HLA-B27 gene. Although they are significantly disabling, their diagnosis has been frequently delayed. Early diagnosis is associated with early treatment, and thus better disease outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic delay (DD), that is, the duration between onset of symptoms and diagnosis, of SpA patients and its relation to the demographic characteristics, disease activity, measured by ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score (ASDAS) and bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI) scores, and the HLA-B27 status of Saudi SpA patients. Methods The data of 94 patients who were diagnosed with SpA were collected from medical records and from them personally. The data included patient demographics, age at diagnosis, delay of diagnosis, in years, disease activity (BASDAI and ASDAS scores), HLA-B27 status and C-reactive protein levels (CRP). The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows version 21.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results 50% of patients were females. The mean DD was (mean ± SD) 4.98 ± 6.00 (range: 0-35). The average age of symptoms onset was 30.70 ± 11.30 (range: 8-59) and the average age at diagnosis was 35.65 ± 10.80 (range: 16-60). The mean BASDAI and ASDAS scores were 3.05 ± 2.21 and 2.29 ± 1.01, respectively. The majority of the patients had high disease activity (35.1 %). 25.0% were HLA-B27 positive. 83.7 % had normal CRP. There was no statistically significant difference between DD and gender, HLA-B27 status, ASDAS and BASDAI scores, and CRP. The DD was significantly higher in AS patients when compared to PsA (p-value= 0.048) and EnA patients (p-value < 0.0001). There was a statistically significant weak anticorrelation between DD and the age at symptoms onset in PsA patients (r-value= -0.39, p-value= 0.003). Age at diagnosis was statistically significantly higher in patients with PsA when compared to EnA. There was no correlation between DD and the disease activity in SpA patients. Conclusion The means of DD in AS, PsA, and EnA patients were 6.69 ± 5.83, 3.67 ± 6.42 and 2.00 ± 1.60, respectively. DD was greater in AS patients when compared to PsA and EnA patients. Early detection and referral to rheumatologists should be addressed, as early intervention is associated with favorable disease outcomes.
Immunotherapeutic Efficacy of Retargeted oHSVs Designed for Propagation in an Ad Hoc Cell Line

Simple Summary The onco-immunotherapeutic viruses, among which stand the onco-immunotherapeutic herpes simplex viruses, have gained renewed interest due to their ability to unlock the potential of checkpoint inhibitors in preclinical and clinical settings. In prior decades, safety concerns led to the generation of overall safe, partially or highly attenuated oncolytic viruses. Current focus is on more efficacious onco-immunotherapeutic viruses with limited ability to cause off-tumor and off-target infections and the capability to subvert the tumor microenvironment immunosuppression—hence to potentiate checkpoint inhibitors. These viruses might serve as potential partners of T-cell therapies. Abstract Our laboratory has pursued the generation of cancer-specific oncolytic herpes simplex viruses (oHSVs) which ensure high efficacy while maintaining a high safety profile. Their blueprint included retargeting to a Tumor-Associated Antigen, e.g., HER2, coupled to detargeting from natural receptors to avoid off-target and off-tumor infections and preservation of the full complement of unmodified viral genes. These oHSVs are “fully virulent in their target cancer cells”. The 3rd generation retargeted oHSVs carry two distinct retargeting moieties, which enable infection of a producer cell line and of the target cancer cells, respectively. They can be propagated in an ad hoc Vero cell derivative at about tenfold higher yields than 1st generation recombinants, and more effectively replicate in human cancer cell lines. The R-335 and R-337 prototypes were armed with murine IL-12. Intratumorally-administered R-337 conferred almost complete protection from LLC-1-HER2 primary tumors, unleashed the tumor microenvironment immunosuppression, synergized with the checkpoint blockade and conferred long-term vaccination against distant challenge tumors. In summary, the problem intrinsic to the propagation of retargeted oHSVs—which strictly require cells positive for targeted receptors—was solved in 3rd generation viruses. They are effective as immunotherapeutic agents against primary tumors and as antigen-agnostic vaccines.
Non-Canonical Functions of the ARF Tumor Suppressor in Development and Tumorigenesis

P14ARF (ARF; Alternative Reading Frame) is an extensively characterized tumor suppressor which, in response to oncogenic stimuli, mediates cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via p53-dependent and independent routes. ARF has been shown to be frequently lost through CpG island promoter methylation in a wide spectrum of human malignancies, such as colorectal, prostate, breast, and gastric cancers, while point mutations and deletions in the p14ARF locus have been linked with various forms of melanomas and glioblastomas. Although ARF has been mostly studied in the context of tumorigenesis, it has been also implicated in purely developmental processes, such as spermatogenesis, and mammary gland and ocular development, while it has been additionally involved in the regulation of angiogenesis. Moreover, ARF has been found to hold important roles in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. As is often the case with tumor suppressors, ARF functions as a pleiotropic protein regulating a number of different mechanisms at the crossroad of development and tumorigenesis. Here, we provide an overview of the non-canonical functions of ARF in cancer and developmental biology, by dissecting the crosstalk of ARF signaling with key oncogenic and developmental pathways.
Anthropogenic landscape decreases mosquito biodiversity and drives malaria vector proliferation in the Amazon rainforest

Inter-relationships among mosquito vectors, Plasmodium parasites, human ecology, and biotic and abiotic factors, drive malaria risk. Specifically, rural landscapes shaped by human activities have a great potential to increase the abundance of malaria vectors, putting many vulnerable people at risk. Understanding at which point the abundance of vectors increases in the landscape can help to design policies and interventions for effective and sustainable control. Using a dataset of adult female mosquitoes collected at 79 sites in malaria endemic areas in the Brazilian Amazon, this study aimed to (1) verify the association among forest cover percentage (PLAND), forest edge density (ED), and variation in mosquito diversity; and to (2) test the hypothesis of an association between landscape structure (i.e., PLAND and ED) and Nyssorhynchus darlingi (Root) dominance. Mosquito collections were performed employing human landing catch (HLC) (peridomestic habitat) and Shannon trap combined with HLC (forest fringe habitat). Nyssorhynchus darlingi abundance was used as the response variable in a generalized linear mixed model, and the Shannon diversity index (H’) of the Culicidae community, PLAND, and the distance house-water drainage were used as predictors. Three ED categories were also used as random effects. A path analysis was used to understand comparative strengths of direct and indirect relationships among Amazon vegetation classes, Culicidae community, and Ny. darlingi abundance. Our results demonstrate that Ny. darlingi is negatively affected by H´ and PLAND of peridomestic habitat, and that increasing these variables (one-unit value at β0 = 768) leads to a decrease of 226 (P < 0.001) and 533 (P = 0.003) individuals, respectively. At the forest fringe, a similar result was found for H’ (β1 = -218; P < 0.001) and PLAND (β1 = -337; P = 0.04). Anthropogenic changes in the Amazon vegetation classes decreased mosquito biodiversity, leading to increased Ny. darlingi abundance. Changes in landscape structure, specifically decreases in PLAND and increases in ED, led to Ny. darlingi becoming the dominant species, increasing malaria risk. Ecological mechanisms involving changes in landscape and mosquito species composition can help to understand changes in the epidemiology of malaria.
Carbomer-based adjuvant elicits CD8 T-cell immunity by inducing a distinct metabolic state in cross-presenting dendritic cells

There is a critical need for adjuvants that can safely elicit potent and durable T cell-based immunity to intracellular pathogens. Here, we report that parenteral vaccination with a carbomer-based adjuvant, Adjuplex (ADJ), stimulated robust CD8 T-cell responses to subunit antigens and afforded effective immunity against respiratory challenge with a virus and a systemic intracellular bacterial infection. Studies to understand the metabolic and molecular basis for ADJ’s effect on antigen cross-presentation by dendritic cells (DCs) revealed several unique and distinctive mechanisms. ADJ-stimulated DCs produced IL-1β and IL-18, suggestive of inflammasome activation, but in vivo activation of CD8 T cells was unaffected in caspase 1-deficient mice. Cross-presentation induced by TLR agonists requires a critical switch to anabolic metabolism, but ADJ enhanced cross presentation without this metabolic switch in DCs. Instead, ADJ induced in DCs, an unique metabolic state, typified by dampened oxidative phosphorylation and basal levels of glycolysis. In the absence of increased glycolytic flux, ADJ modulated multiple steps in the cytosolic pathway of cross-presentation by enabling accumulation of degraded antigen, reducing endosomal acidity and promoting antigen localization to early endosomes. Further, by increasing ROS production and lipid peroxidation, ADJ promoted antigen escape from endosomes to the cytosol for degradation by proteasomes into peptides for MHC I loading by TAP-dependent pathways. Furthermore, we found that induction of lipid bodies (LBs) and alterations in LB composition mediated by ADJ were also critical for DC cross-presentation. Collectively, our model challenges the prevailing metabolic paradigm by suggesting that DCs can perform effective DC cross-presentation, independent of glycolysis to induce robust T cell-dependent protective immunity to intracellular pathogens. These findings have strong implications in the rational development of safe and effective immune adjuvants to potentiate robust T-cell based immunity.
A Mixed Methods Inquiry into the Role of Tom Hanks’ COVID-19 Social Media Disclosure in Shaping Willingness to Engage in Prevention Behaviors

ABSTRACT Given the vast amounts of COVID-19-related messages flooding mediated and interpersonal communication channels during the global pandemic, celebrity COVID-19 disclosures offer rare opportunities to cut through message fatigue and apathy and garner the attention of wide swaths of the public. We conducted a convergent mixed method analysis of audience responses to actor Tom Hanks’ March 11, 2020 disclosure of his COVID-19 diagnosis via social media. We collected our data within 24 hours of his announcement, allowing us to quickly capture emotional and cognitive responses to the announcement and to assess both demographic and psychosocial differences in types of people who heard the news in this time frame and those who had not. In our study, 587 participants had heard the news of Hanks’ disclosure while 95 had not. Participants who had heard responded to an open-ended prompt asking if the disclosure affected them at all. Those who had not heard were funneled into a field intervention to test how random assignment to seeing Hanks’ disclosure post or not would affect audiences’ COVID-19-related emotions, cognitions, and willingness to enact prevention behaviors. The results of this mixed methods study revealed differences in responses to Hanks’ disclosure based on health information source trust and involvement with Hanks as well as effects of the intervention on efficacy for dealing with COVID-19. We discuss implications for health communication theory and crafting messages that can effectively build off the attentional inertia generated by celebrity illness disclosures to encourage prevention efforts.
Comparing the ICD-11 chronic pain classification with ICD-10: how can the new coding system make chronic pain visible? A study in a tertiary care pain clinic setting.

ABSTRACT Pain is a frequent reason for patients to ask for medical services. However, systematic information about the extent and impact of pain, especially in developing countries, has not been available up to now. We evaluated, whether the 11th edition of the ICD can fill this gap by coding all electronic out-patient medical records of the pain clinic at Siriraj Hospital in Thailand in 2019 (8714 visits), using the ICD-10 and ICD-11 browsers referenced on the WHO websites. The three most frequent pain-related codes in ICD-10 were R52.2 "Other chronic pain" (29%), M54.5 "Low back pain" (18%), and M79.6 "Pain in limb" (13%). In ICD-11, the three most frequent codes were MG30.31 "Chronic secondary musculoskeletal pain associated with structural changes" (28%), MG30.51 "Chronic peripheral neuropathic pain" (26%), and MG30.10 "Chronic cancer pain" (23%). Thus, using the currently valid ICD-10 system, roughly one third of patient encounters were coded as "Other chronic pain", and the next two were specifying the pain region rather than any underlying cause. In contrast, ICD-11 coding of the same patients identified underlying causes (bones and joints, somatosensory nervous system, cancer or surgery), which provide guidance towards differential patient management. In our pain clinic, a majority of patients suffered from Chronic cancer pain, Chronic neuropathic pain, and Chronic secondary musculoskeletal pain, which were poorly defined or non-existent in the current ICD-10 coding system. Compared to the ICD-10, the ICD-11 provides more detailed diagnostic categories and is more informative for clinical use, research and resource allocation for pain-related conditions.