Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potential probiotic of Lactobacillus johnsonii LT171 for chicken nutrition

The objective of this research was to investigate the potential probiotic of Lactobacillus johnsonii LT171. It had aggregation (60 min) and antibacterial effects against Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O78:K80. It showed amylase and protease activity and high clear zone in culture medium containing calcium phytate; cell surface hydrophobicity, 85.21 ± 7.27%; resistance to acidic condition (pH 3 for 90 min) and bile salts (in culture medium containing 0.075% ox gall). Also it had resistance to nalidixic acid and neomycine. This research showed appropriate probiotic properties of L. johnsonii LT171 for chicken nutrition. Hence this strain can complement the characteristics of other strains in multistrain probiotics because of its high clear zone in culture medium containing calcium phytate.
Detection of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Resting-State EEG Recordings: A Novel Machine Learning Approach Using Specific EEG Sub-Bands and Channels

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) is a threat to the safety of the patient as well as others and can lead to higher rates of mortality. While current tests for EDS are time-consuming, expensive, and inaccurate, modern data-driven approaches can significantly improve diagnosis and treatment quality. Using an improved machine learning (ML) method in combination with the unfolding of electroencephalogram (EEG) bandwidths in a fine-graded equidistant 99-point spectrum, we successfully developed and evaluated a fast classification model to correctly diagnose EDS. Our model achieved a good level of accuracy of 87.00 percent on completely unseen resting-state EEG data. Our model is one of the first to detect long term EDS instead of short-term drowsiness from EEG data and significantly extends related work on the detection of drowsiness by considering the local occurrence of differences in spectral power.
Contribution of mRNA Splicing to Mismatch Repair Gene Sequence Variant Interpretation

Functional assays that assess mRNA splicing can be used in interpretation of the clinical significance of sequence variants, including the Lynch syndrome-associated mismatch repair (MMR) genes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of splicing assay data to the classification of MMR gene sequence variants. We assayed mRNA splicing for 24 sequence variants in MLH1, MSH2, and MSH6, including 12 missense variants that were also assessed using a cell-free in vitro MMR activity (CIMRA) assay. Multifactorial likelihood analysis was conducted for each variant, combining CIMRA outputs and clinical data where available. We collated these results with existing public data to provide a dataset of splicing assay results for a total of 671 MMR gene sequence variants (328 missense/in-frame indel), and published and unpublished repair activity measurements for 154 of these variants. There were 241 variants for which a splicing aberration was detected: 92 complete impact, 33 incomplete impact, and 116 where it was not possible to determine complete versus incomplete splicing impact. Splicing results mostly aided in the interpretation of intronic (72%) and silent (92%) variants and were the least useful for missense substitutions/in-frame indels (10%). MMR protein functional activity assays were more useful in the analysis of these exonic variants but by design they were not able to detect clinically important splicing aberrations identified by parallel mRNA assays. The development of high throughput assays that can quantitatively assess impact on mRNA transcript expression and protein function in parallel will streamline classification of MMR gene sequence variants.
Short-Term Ketogenic Diet Improves Abdominal Obesity in Overweight/Obese Chinese Young Females

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a short-term ketogenic diet (KD) on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in overweight/obese Chinese females. Twenty young females [age: 21.0 ± 3.7 years, weight: 65.5 ± 7.7 kg, body mass index (BMI): 24.9 ± 2.7 kg⋅m–2] consumed 4 weeks of a normal diet (ND) as a baseline and then switched to a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, and adequate protein KD for another 4 weeks. With the same daily caloric intake, the proportions of energy intake derived from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats were changed from 44.0 ± 7.6%, 15.4 ± 3.3%, 39.6 ± 5.8% in ND to 9.2 ± 4.8%, 21.9 ± 3.4%, and 69.0 ± 5.4% in KD. The results showed that, without impairing the CRF level, the 4-week KD intervention significantly reduced body weight (−2.9 kg), BMI (−1.1 kg⋅m–2), waist circumference (−4.0 cm), hip circumference (−2.5 cm), and body fat percentage (−2.0%). Moreover, fasting leptin level was lowered significantly, and serum levels of inflammatory markers (i.e., TNF-α and MCP-1) were unchanged following KD. These findings suggest that KD can be used as a rapid and effective approach to lose weight and reduce abdominal adiposity in overweight/obese Chinese females without exacerbating their CRF.
Epstein-Barr Virus in Gastric Carcinomas from Singapore

One hundred and thirty-seven consecutive cases of gastric carcinomas were evaluated for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) by use of an in situ hybridization (ISH) assay for EBV-encoded RNA (EBER1) transcript and by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify the internal repeat segment of the EBV genome. EBER1 was localized in tumor nuclei of 6 (4.3%) specimens, 5 of which were lymphocpithclioma-like carcinomas. Forty-five cases (32.8%) were positive by PCR, but evidence suggests that EBV positivity in many of these cases was due to latently infected lymphocytes. The presence of EBV by ISH was strongly associated with increased lymphocytic infiltration of tumors. Our inability to identify significant correlations between EBV-infected tumors and patient age, gender, or ethnicity, and tumor stage or histologic type was partly thwarted by low numbers of ISH-positive cases. Int J Surg Pathol 4(3):00-00, 1997
Resting State Cortico-Limbic Functional Connectivity and Dispositional Use of Emotion Regulation Strategies: A Replication and Extension Study

Neuroimaging functional connectivity analyses have shown that the negative coupling between the amygdala and cortical regions is linked to better emotion regulation (ER) in experimental task settings. However, less is known about the neural correlates of ER traits or dispositions. The present study aimed to: (1) replicate the findings of differential cortico-limbic coupling during resting-state depending on the dispositional use of emotion regulation strategies. Furthermore, the study aimed to: (2) extend prior findings by examining whether differences in cortico-limbic coupling during resting-state predict experiential and neuronal ER success in a standard ER task. To this end, N = 107 healthy adults completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), underwent an 8-min resting-state fMRI acquisition, and completed a reappraisal task during fMRI. Functional connectivity maps of basolateral and centromedial amygdala nuclei were estimated with a seed-based approach regarding associations with regions of the prefrontal cortex and were then correlated with ERQ scores as well as experiential and neuronal ER success. All hypotheses and the analysis plan are preregistered at https://osf.io/8wsgu. Opposed to prior findings, we were not able to replicate a correlation of dispositional ER strategy use with functional connectivity between the amygdala and PFC regions (p > 0.05, FWE-corrected). Furthermore, there was no association of experiential and neuronal reappraisal success with functional connectivity between amygdala and insula as well as PFC (p > 0.05, FWE-corrected). The present preregistered study calls into question the reported association between individual differences in resting-state cortico-limbic connectivity and dispositional use of ER strategies. However, ongoing advances in functional brain imaging and distributed network approaches may leverage the identification of reliable functional connectivity patterns that underlie successful emotion regulation.
Dexmedetomidine as Bolus or Low-dose Infusion for the Prevention of Emergence Agitation with Sevoflurane Anesthesia in Pediatric Patients

Background: This study was designed to compare the prevention of emergence agitation (EA) of sevoflurane anesthesia by an intraoperative bolus or low-dose infusion of dexmedetomidine in pediatric patients undergoing lower abdominal surgeries. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight patients, aged 2–12 years, undergoing lower abdominal surgeries with sevoflurane anesthesia were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either intravenous bolus over 10 min. 0.4 μg/kg dexmedetomidine (Group I, n = 24) or low-dose infusion 0.4 μg/kg/h of dexmedetomidine (Group II, n = 24) after intubation. Heart rate and mean arterial pressure were recorded before induction, at induction and every 5 min after induction. Observational pain scores (OPS), pediatric anesthesia emergence delirium (PAED) scores, and Ramsay sedation scores (RSS) were recorded on arrival to the postanesthesia care unit and at 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60 min thereafter. Extubation time, emergence time, and time to reach Aldrete score ≥9 were recorded. Results: OPS and PAED scores and percentage of patients with OPS ≥4 or PAED scale ≥10 were significantly higher in Group II as compared to Group I. RSS score, extubation time, emergence time, and time to reach Aldrete score ≥9 did not show any significant difference. Conclusion: Both bolus or low-dose infusion of dexmedetomidine was effective for the prevention of EA with sevoflurane anesthesia, but bolus dose of dexmedetomidine was more effective.
Accuracy of Empirical Satellite Algorithms for Mapping Phytoplankton Diagnostic Pigments in the Open Ocean: A Supervised Learning Perspective

Monitoring phytoplankton community composition from space is an important challenge in ocean remote sensing. Researchers have proposed several algorithms for this purpose. However, the in situ data used to train and validate such algorithms at the global scale are often clustered along ship cruise tracks and in some well-studied locations, whereas many large marine regions have no in situ data at all. Furthermore, oceanographic variables are typically spatially auto-correlated. In this situation, the common practice of validating algorithms with randomly chosen held-out observations can underestimate errors. Based on a global database of in situ HPLC data, we applied supervised learning methods to train and test empirical algorithms predicting the relative concentrations of eight diagnostic pigments that serve as biomarkers for different phytoplankton types. For each pigment, we trained three types of satellite algorithms distinguished by their input data: abundance-based (using only chlorophyll-a as input), spectral (using remote sensing reflectance), and ecological algorithms (combining reflectance and environmental variables). The algorithms were implemented as statistical models (smoothing splines, polynomials, random forests, and boosted regression trees). To address clustering of data and spatial auto-correlation, we tested the algorithms by means of spatial block cross-validation. This provided a less confident picture of the potential for global mapping of diagnostic pigments and hence the associated phytoplankton types using existing satellite data than suggested by some previous research and a fivefold cross-validation conducted for comparison. Of the eight diagnostic pigments, only two (fucoxanthin and zeaxanthin) could be predicted in marine regions that the algorithms were not trained in with considerably lower errors than a constant null model. Thus, global-scale algorithms based on existing, multi-spectral satellite data and commonly available environmental variables can estimate relative diagnostic pigment concentrations and hence distinguish phytoplankton types in some broad classes, but are likely inaccurate for some classes and in some marine regions. Overall, the ecological algorithms had the lowest prediction errors, suggesting that environmental variables contain information about the global spatial distribution of phytoplankton groups that is not captured in multi-spectral remote sensing reflectance and satellite-derived Chl a concentrations. Weighting training observations inversely to the degree of spatial clustering improved predictions. Finally, our results suggest that more discussion of the best approaches for training and validating empirical satellite algorithms is needed if the in situ data are unevenly distributed in the study region and spatially clustered.
Adsorption of heavy metal from landfill leachate by wasted biosolids

The adsorption capacity of wasted solids that contained dead fungal biomass (Phanerochaete chrysosporium) was studied to remove cadmium, copper, zinc and iron from synthetic water and leachate. The biomass was produced due to the experiments conducted for bioconversion of wastewater for lignin peroxydase production in the laboratory. In the screening experiments, the maximum cadmium (Cd) adsorption from synthetic water was 28.81% at 18 h. Meanwhile, adsorption of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) reached maximum condition after 5 h with 41.29, 58.94 and 52.03% removal efficiency, respectively. However, the concentration of Cd, Cu and Zn was not detected in the leachate but Fe was found to be in high concentration (184 mg/L) in raw leachate collected from a municipal landfill site. Therefore, the effects of biomass dosage, contact time, pH and agitation speed were observed for optimal adsorption of iron from leachate. Optimum removal of iron from leachate was 45.56% in every 1 L of leachate after 1/50 dilutions. The optimized biomass dosage, contact time, pH and agitation speed were 750 mg/L, 4 h, pH 5, and 150 rpm, respectively. The results of this study indicated that the biomass generated from the laboratory experiments could be used, before discarding, to remove iron from leachate which is one of the main problems at the landfill sites.
Non-ischemic Heart Preservation via Hypothermic Cardioplegic Perfusion Induces Immunodepletion of Donor Hearts Resulting in Diminished Graft Infiltration Following Transplantation

Introduction: Many donor organs contain significant leukocyte reservoirs which upon transplantation activate recipient leukocytes to initiate acute rejection. We aimed to assess whether non-ischemic heart preservation via ex vivo perfusion promotes immunodepletion and alters the inflammatory status of the donor organ prior to transplantation. Methods: Isolated porcine hearts underwent ex vivo hypothermic, cardioplegic perfusion for 8 h. Leukocyte populations were quantified in left ventricle samples by flow cytometry. Cell-free DNA, cytokines, and chemokines were quantified in the perfusate. Tissue integrity was profiled by targeted proteomics and a histological assessment was performed. Heterotopic transplants comparing ex vivo hypothermic preservation and static cold storage were utilized to assess graft infiltration as a solid clinical endpoint. Results: Ex vivo perfusion significantly immunodepleted myocardial tissue. The perfusate displayed a selective, pro-inflammatory cytokine/chemokine pattern dominated by IFN-γ. The tissue molecular profile was improved following perfusion by diminished expression of nine pro-apoptotic and six ischemia-associated proteins. Histologically, no evidence of tissue damage was observed and cardiac troponin I was low throughout perfusion. Cell-free DNA was detected, the source of which may be necrotic/apoptotic leukocytes. Post-transplant graft infiltration was markedly reduced in terms of both leucocyte distribution and intensity of foci. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that ex vivo perfusion significantly reduced donor heart immunogenicity via loss of resident leukocytes. Despite the pro-inflammatory cytokine pattern observed, a pro-survival and reduced ischemia-related profile was observed, indicating an improvement in graft viability by perfusion. Diminished graft infiltration was observed in perfused hearts compared with those preserved by static cold storage following 48 h of transplantation.
The relationship between forelimb morphology and behaviour in North American carnivores (Carnivora)

We tested the validity of previously described relationships between forelimb structure and behaviour in mammals by measuring the forelimbs of 22 species of North American carnivores. Nine ratios were calculated from these measurements and made independent of the effects of allometry and phylogeny through the use of log-transformed regressions and independent contrasts analysis. The ratios were then directly compared with two behavioural traits: arboreal locomotion and vertebrate predation. Only five of the nine ratios exhibited a significant relationship with arboreal locomotion and three with vertebrate predation. It was concluded that the brachial index, relative size of the olecranon process, and total forelimb robusticity may be reliable predictors of arboreal locomotion, and that the brachial index, relative size of the olecranon process, and radial robusticity may be accurate predictors of vertebrate predation. The data also suggest that the morphology of the lower forelimb may be an important indi.
Characterization of the rescued Voghera sweet pepper landrace grown in northern Italy

A traditional Italian sweet pepper landrace, �Peperone di Voghera�, which faced the risk of extinction, was analyzed for its genetic, phenological, morphological, agronomic and biochemical traits. An extant population was compared with cultivars �Quadrato d�Asti�, �Cuneo�, and �Giallo d�Asti�, cultivated in the same area, in order to evaluate the chance of the landrace recovery. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis demonstrated that Voghera landrace is distinct with respect to reference cultivars, thus excluding extensive genetic contamination and providing a molecular basis of both phenological and biochemical differences. Leaf chlorophyll content is lower, fruits start ripening earlier than controls, and yield (1100-1300 g plant-1) does not significantly differ. Sensitivity to root pathogens, the main factor that led to the decline in the past, does not seem to compromise the future chance of recovery. Vitamin C concentration is high (200-240 mg/100 g) and preserved by cold storage; more than 25% of vitamin C is also kept in pickled fruits. �Voghera� landrace has nutritional and gastronomic properties that can be appreciated by consumers. The high internal genetic variability shown by AFLP analysis indicates that future selection work is necessary to fully maintain the original traits of the landrace and to improve it.
Methanosarcina acetivorans: A Model for Mechanistic Understanding of Aceticlastic and Reverse Methanogenesis

Acetate-utilizing methanogens are responsible for approximately two-thirds of the one billion metric tons of methane produced annually in Earth’s anaerobic environments. Methanosarcina acetivorans has emerged as a model organism for the mechanistic understanding of aceticlastic methanogenesis and reverse methanogenesis applicable to understanding the methane and carbon cycles in nature. It has the largest genome in the Archaea, supporting a metabolic complexity that enables a remarkable ability for adapting to environmental opportunities and challenges. Biochemical investigations have revealed an aceticlastic pathway capable of fermentative and respiratory energy conservation that explains how Ms. acetivorans is able to grow and compete in the environment. The mechanism of respiratory energy conservation also plays a role in overcoming endothermic reactions that are key to reversing methanogenesis.
Non-invasive Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Potential Treatment for Covid19-Originated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Background: Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by an invasion of the alveolar epithelial cells by coronavirus 19. The most severe outcome of the disease is the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) combined with hypoxemia and cardiovascular damage. ARDS and co-morbidities are associated with inflammatory cytokine storms, sympathetic hyperactivity, and respiratory dysfunction. Hypothesis: In the present paper, we present and justify a novel potential treatment for Covid19-originated ARDS and associated co-morbidities, based on the non-invasive stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. Methods: Auricular vagus nerve stimulation activates the parasympathetic system including anti-inflammatory pathways (the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway and the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis) while regulating the abnormal sympatho-vagal balance and improving respiratory control. Results: Along the paper (1) we expose the role of the parasympathetic system and the vagus nerve in the control of inflammatory processes (2) we formulate our physiological and methodological hypotheses (3) we provide a large body of clinical and preclinical data that support the favorable effects of auricular vagus nerve stimulation in inflammation, sympatho-vagal balance as well as in respiratory and cardiac ailments, and (4) we list the (few) possible collateral effects of the treatment. Finally, we discuss auricular vagus nerve stimulation protective potential, especially in the elderly and co-morbid population with already reduced parasympathetic response. Conclusions: Auricular vagus nerve stimulation is a safe clinical procedure and it could be either an effective treatment for ARDS originated by Covid-19 and similar viruses or a supplementary treatment to actual ARDS therapeutic approaches.
Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Routine Pediatric Clinical Care: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Integration of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in routine clinical care is growing but lacks consolidated evidence around its impact on pediatric care. This systematic review aims to evaluate the impact of integrating PROMs in routine pediatric clinical care on various outcomes in pediatric clinical care. Data Sources: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library. Web of Science database was searched selectively to ensure extended coverage. Study Selection: We included longitudinal studies reporting on the integration of PROMs in routine pediatric clinical care of chronic diseases. Studies in languages other than English, published prior to the year 2000, and reporting on secondary data were excluded. Data Extraction: Two reviewers independently extracted data from included studies. Extracted data included citation of each study, type of healthcare setting, location of the study, characteristics of patient population, type of chronic disease, name and type of PROM, mode of administration, and reported outcomes. Results: Out of 6,869 articles, titles and abstracts of 5,416 articles and full text of 23 articles were screened in duplicate. Seven articles reporting results from six studies met eligibility criteria. Integration of PROMs increased the identification and discussion around health-related quality of life (HRQOL), especially in psychosocial and emotional domains, but showed mixed results with the impact on quality of care. No studies assessed the impact of integrating PROMs on healthcare utilization. Limitations: Due to significant heterogeneity in the studies, a meta-analysis was not conducted. Conclusions: Integrating PROMs could have a positive impact on HRQOL; however, further studies are required to determine the impact of PROMs in routine pediatric clinical care.