Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bioengineered Fluorescent Nanoprobe Conjugates for Tracking Human Bone Cells: In Vitro Biocompatibility Analysis

Herein, we validated novel functionalized hybrid semiconductor bioconjugates made of fluorescent quantum dots (QD) with the surface capped by chitosan (polysaccharide) and chemically modified with O-phospho-L-serine (OPS) that are biocompatible with different human cell sources. The conjugation with a directing signaling molecule (OPS) allows preferential accumulation in human bone mesenchymal stromal cells (HBMSC). The chitosan (Chi) shell with the fluorescent CdS core was characterized by spectroscopical (UV spectrophotometry and photoluminescence), by morphological techniques (Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)) and showed small size (ø 2.3 nm) and a stable photoluminescence emission band. The in vitro biocompatibility results were not dependent on the polysaccharide chain length (Chi with higher and lower molecular weight) but were remarkably affected by the surface modification (Chi or Chi-OPS). In addition, the efficiency of nanoparticles uptake by the cells was dependent on cells nature (human primary cells or cell lines) and tissue source (bone or skin) in the presence or absence of the OPS modification. The complex cellular uptake pathways involved in the cell labeling with the nanoparticles do not interfere on the normal cellular biology (adhesion and proliferation), osteogenic differentiation, and gene expression. The bone cells particles uptake evaluation showed a possible pathway by Caveolin-1 that regulates cell transduction in the membrane’s Caveolae. Caveolae mediates non-specific endocytosis, and it is upregulated in HBMSC. The OPS-modified nanoparticles promoted an intense intracellular trafficking by the HBMSCs that showed late-osteoblast phenotype with an increase of extracellular matrix (ECM) mineralization (Alizarin red and Von Kossa staining for calcium phosphate crystals). In this work, the OPS modified bioconjugated QD proved to be a reliable and stable fluorescent bioprobe for cell imaging and targeting research that could also help in clarifying some cellular mechanisms of particles intracellular traffic through the cytoplasmic membrane and osteogenic differentiation induction. The in vitro HBMSC’s biocompatibility responses indicated that the OPS-modified chitosan QDs have a prospective future in laboratory and pre-clinical applications such as bioimaging analysis and for ex-vivo cellular evaluation of biomedical implants.
Quantitative Multispectral Imaging Differentiates Melanoma from Seborrheic Keratosis

Melanoma is a melanocytic tumor that is responsible for the most skin cancer-related deaths. By contrast, seborrheic keratosis (SK) is a very common benign lesion with a clinical picture that may resemble melanoma. We used a multispectral imaging device to distinguish these two entities, with the use of autofluorescence imaging with 405 nm and diffuse reflectance imaging with 525 and 660 narrow-band LED illumination. We analyzed intensity descriptors of the acquired images. These included ratios of intensity values of different channels, standard deviation and minimum/maximum values of intensity of the lesions. The pattern of the lesions was also assessed with the use of particle analysis. We found significantly higher intensity values in SKs compared with melanoma, especially with the use of the autofluorescence channel. Moreover, we found a significantly higher number of particles with high fluorescence in SKs. We created a parameter, the SK index, using these values to differentiate melanoma from SK with a sensitivity of 91.9% and specificity of 57.0%. In conclusion, this imaging technique is potentially applicable to distinguish melanoma from SK based on the analysis of various quantitative parameters. For this application, multispectral imaging could be used as a screening tool by general physicians and non-experts in the everyday practice.
Interleukin-17A Triggers the Release of Platelet-Derived Factors Driving Vascular Endothelial Cells toward a Pro-Angiogenic State

Platelets comprise a highly interactive immune cell subset of the circulatory system traditionally known for their unique haemostatic properties. Although platelets are considered as a vault of growth factors, cytokines and chemokines with pivotal role in vascular regeneration and angiogenesis, the exact mechanisms by which they influence vascular endothelial cells (ECs) function remain underappreciated. In the present study, we examined the role of human IL-17A/IL-17RA axis in platelet-mediated pro-angiogenic responses. We reveal that IL-17A receptor (IL-17RA) mRNA is present in platelets transcriptome and a profound increase is documented on the surface of activated platelets. By quantifying the protein levels of several factors, involved in angiogenesis, we identified that IL-17A/IL17RA axis selectively induces the release of vascular endothelial growth factor, interleukin -2 and -4, as well as monocyte chemoattractant protein -1 from treated platelets. However, IL-17A exerted no effect on the release of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory factor with potentially anti-angiogenic properties, from platelets. Treatment of human endothelial cell two-dimensional tubule networks or three-dimensional spheroid and mouse aortic ring structures with IL-17A-induced platelet releasate evoked pro-angiogenic responses of ECs. Our findings suggest that IL-17A may critically affect platelet release of pro-angiogenic factors driving ECs towards a pro-angiogenic state.
Inter-crystal scattering recovery of light-sharing PET detectors using convolutional neural networks

Inter-crystal scattering (ICS) is a type of Compton scattering of photons from one crystal to adjacent crystals and causes inaccurate assignment of the annihilation photon interaction position in positron emission tomography (PET). Because ICS frequently occurs in highly light-shared PET detectors, its recovery is crucial for the spatial resolution improvement. In this study, we propose two different convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for ICS recovery, exploiting the good pattern recognition ability of CNN techniques. Using the signal distribution of a photosensor array as input, one network estimates the energy deposition in each crystal (ICS-eNet) and another network chooses the first-interacted crystal (ICS-cNet). We performed GATE Monte Carlo simulations with optical photon tracking to test PET detectors comprising different crystal arrays (8 × 8 to 21 × 21) with lengths of 20 mm and the same photosensor array (3 mm 8 × 8 array) covering an area of 25.8 × 25.8 mm2. For each detector design, we trained ICS-eNet and ICS-cNet and evaluated their respective performance. ICS-eNet accurately identified whether the events were ICS (accuracy > 90%) and selected interacted crystals (accuracy > 60%) with appropriate energy estimation performance (R 2 > 0.7) in the 8 × 8, 12 × 12, and 16 × 16 arrays. ICS-cNet also exhibited satisfactory performance, which was less dependent on the crystal-to-sensor ratio, with an accuracy enhancement that exceeds 10% in selecting the first-interacted crystal and a reduction in error distances compared when no recovery was applied. Both ICS-eNet and ICS-cNet exhibited consistent performances under various optical property settings of the crystals. For spatial resolution measurements in PET rings, both networks achieved significant enhancements particularly for highly pixelated arrays. We also discuss approaches for training the networks in an actual experimental setup. This proof-of-concept study demonstrated the feasibility of CNNs for ICS recovery in various light-sharing designs to efficiently improve the spatial resolution of PET in various applications.
Contribution of the Commensal Microflora to the Immunological Homeostasis and the Importance of Immune-Related Drug Development for Clinical Applications

Not long ago, self-reactive immune activity was considered as pathological trait. A paradigm shift has now led to the recognition of autoimmune processes as part of natural maintenance of molecular homeostasis. The immune system is assigned further roles beneath the defense against pathogenic organisms. Regarding the humoral immune system, the investigation of natural autoantibodies that are frequently found in healthy individuals has led to further hypotheses involving natural autoimmunity in other processes as the clearing of cellular debris or decrease in inflammatory processes. However, their role and origin have not been entirely clarified, but accumulating evidence links their formation to immune reactions against the gut microbiome. Antibodies targeting highly conserved proteins of the commensal microflora are suggested to show self-reactive properties, following the paradigm of the molecular mimicry. Here, we discuss recent findings, which demonstrate potential links of the commensal microflora to the immunological homeostasis and highlight the possible implications for various diseases. Furthermore, specific components of the immune system, especially antibodies, have become a focus of attention for the medical management of various diseases and provide attractive treatment options in the future. Nevertheless, the development and optimization of such macromolecules still represents a very time-consuming task, shifting the need to more medical agents with simple structural properties and low manufacturing costs. Synthesizing only the biologically active sites of antibodies has become of great interest for the pharmaceutical industry and offers a wide range of therapeutic application areas as it will be discussed in the present review article.
Gelatinization or Pasting? The Impact of Different Temperature Levels on the Saccharification Efficiency of Barley Malt Starch

Efficient enzymatic hydrolysis of cereal starches requires a proper hydrothermal pre-treatment. For malted barley, however, the exact initial temperature is presently unknown. Therefore, samples were micro-mashed according to accurately determined gelatinization and pasting temperatures. The impact on starch morphology, mash viscometry and sugar yields was recorded in the presence and absence of an amylase inhibitor to differentiate between morphological and enzymatic effects. Mashing at gelatinization onset temperatures (54.5–57.1 °C) led to negligible morphological and viscometric changes, whereas mashing at pasting onset temperatures (57.5–59.8 °C) induced significant starch granule swelling and degradation resulting in increased sugar yields (61.7% of upper reference limit). Complete hydrolysis of A-type and partial hydrolysis of B-type granules was achieved within only 10 min of mashing at higher temperatures (61.4–64.5 °C), resulting in a sugar yield of 97.5% as compared to the reference laboratory method mashing procedure (65 °C for 60 min). The results indicate that the beginning of starch pasting was correctly identified and point out the potential of an adapted process temperature control.
Evaluation of Dietary Probiotic (Lactobacillus plantarum BG0001) Supplementation on the Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Blood Profile, Fecal Gas Emission, and Fecal Microbiota in Weaning Pigs

Simple Summary Since antibiotics are banned in animal feed in many countries, probiotics have received more attention as reliable alternatives. We mainly study the effect of adding Lactobacillus plantarum BG0001 on the performance of weaned piglets for 42 days. The results: weaning pigs fed diet supplementation with L. plantarum BG0001 significantly improved the growth performance and fecal microbiota, and achieved similar effects as antibiotic growth promoters. Therefore, we consider that L. plantarum BG0001 will have a good role in replacing antibiotic growth promoters in swine feed. It can bring potentially huge economic income to the animal husbandry industry. Abstract A total of 180, 4-week-old crossbred weaning piglets ((Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc; 6.67 ± 1.40 kg) were used in a 42 day experiment to evaluate the effect of dietary probiotics (Lactobacillus plantarum BG0001) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profile, fecal microbiota, and noxious gas emission. All pigs were randomly allotted to one of four treatment diets in a completely randomized block design. Each treatment had nine replicates with five pigs/pen (mixed sex) Designated dietary treatments were as: (1) basal diet (NC), (2) NC + 0.2% antibiotics (chlortetracycline) (PC), (3) NC + 0.1% L. plantarum BG0001 (Lactobacillus plantarum BG0001) (NC1), (4) NC + 0.2% L. plantarum BG0001 (NC2). On d 42, BW and G:F were lower (p < 0.05) in pigs fed NC diet compared with PC diet and probiotic diets. Throughout this experiment, the average daily gain increased (p < 0.05) in pigs when fed with PC and probiotic diets than the NC diet. The average daily feed intake was higher (p < 0.05) in pigs fed PC diet during day 0–7 and 22–42, and probiotic diets during day 0–7 compared with NC diet, respectively. The Lactobacillus count was increased and Escherichia coli count was decreased (p < 0.05) in the fecal microbiota of pigs fed probiotic diets, and E. coli were decreased (p < 0.05) when fed a PC diet compared with the NC diet on day 21. Moreover, the apparent total tract nutrient digestibility, blood profile, and the concentration of noxious gas emission had no negative effects by the probiotic treatments. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with L. plantarum BG0001 significantly improved the growth performance, increased fecal Lactobacillus, and decreased E. coli counts in weaning pigs.
Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Natural Extracts with Proven Antioxidant Activity

Natural extracts are a rich source of biomolecules that are useful not only as antioxidant drugs or diet supplements but also as complex reagents for the biogenic synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. The natural product components can act as strong reducing and capping substrates guaranteeing the stability of formed NPs. The current work demonstrates the suitability of extracts of Camellia sinensis, Ilex paraguariensis, Salvia officinalis, Tilia cordata, Levisticum officinale, Aegopodium podagraria, Urtica dioica, Capsicum baccatum, Viscum album, and marine algae Porphyra Yezoensis for green synthesis of AgNPs. The antioxidant power of methanolic extracts was estimated at the beginning according to their free radical scavenging activity by the DPPH method and reducing power activity by CUPRAC and SNPAC (silver nanoparticle antioxidant capacity) assays. The results obtained by the CUPRAC and SNAPC methods exhibited excellent agreement (R2~0.9). The synthesized AgNPs were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), dynamic light scattering (DLS) particle size, and zeta potential. The UV-vis absorption spectra showed a peak at 423 nm confirming the presence of AgNPs. The shapes of extract-mediated AgNPs were mainly spherical, spheroid, rod-shaped, agglomerated crystalline structures. The NPs exhibited a high negative zeta potential value in the range from −49.8 mV to −56.1 mV, proving the existence of electrostatic stabilization. FTIR measurements indicated peaks corresponding to different functional groups such as carboxylic acids, alcohol, phenol, esters, ethers, aldehydes, alkanes, and proteins, which were involved in the synthesis and stabilization of AgNPs. Among the examined extracts, green tea showed the highest activity in all antioxidant tests and enabled the synthesis of the smallest nanoparticles, namely 62.51, 61.19, and 53.55 nm, depending on storage times of 30 min, 24 h, and 72 h, respectively. In turn, the Capsicum baccatum extract was distinguished by the lowest zeta potential, decreasing with storage time from −66.0 up to −88.6 mM.
Considering Fraud Vulnerability Associated with Credence-Based Products Such as Organic Food

Organic foods carry a premium price. They are credence-based foods, i.e., it is difficult for consumers to evaluate the premium aspects of organic food under normal use. In global supply chains, organic food is purchased on institutional trust (certification, logos, standards) rather than on relational trust. Relying on institutional trust makes consumers vulnerable to criminals who intentionally label conventional product as organic or develop sophisticated organized crime networks to defraud businesses and consumers. The aim of this research is to explore cases of organic fraud that are emergent from academic and gray literature searches to identify ways to strengthen future capabilities to counter illicit activities in a globalized food environment. Each case is considered in terms of perpetrator motivations (differentiated as economic, cultural, and behaviorally orientated drivers), the mode of operation (simple or organized), the guardians involved/absent, and the business and supply chain level vulnerabilities the cases highlight. The study finds that institutional trust is particularly vulnerable to fraud. Supply chain guardians need to recognize this vulnerability and implement effective controls to reduce the likelihood of occurrence. However, in some cases considered in the study, the guardians themselves were complicit in the illicit behavior, further increasing consumer vulnerability. Future research needs to consider how additional controls can be implemented, without increasing supply chain friction that will impact on food trade and supply, that can ensure consumers are purchasing what they believe they are paying for.
Capillary Blood Gas Predicts Risk of Intensive Care in Children with Bronchiolitis

Background: Bronchiolitis may result in respiratory failure diagnosed with arterial blood gas (ABG). ABG is not routinely performed in general paediatric wards but is closely reflected by capillary blood gas (CBG). We sought to assess the usefulness of CBG results in prediction of intensive care unit (ICU) transfer, antibiotic treatment, and length of stay in children hospitalized due to bronchiolitis. Methods: The optimal cutoff values were estimated with an ROC analysis, while a multiple regression model calculated the odds of an ICU transfer, prolonged hospitalization, and antibiotic treatment related with hypercapnia (pCO2 ≥ 45 mmHg) and acidosis (pH ≤ 7.35). The correlation between the CBG (pH, pCO2, and SatO2) and the clinical/laboratory parameters (breath rate, heart rate, pulse oximetry, white blood cells, CRP, and procalcitonin) was calculated. Results: The CBG was performed in 485 children aged 8 days–22 months (median 2 months). The pCO2 was significantly higher in ICU transferred patients (median 44.8 mmHg vs. 36.2 mmHg, p < 0.01), and showed AUC = 0.773, (95% CI: 0.638–0.907, p < 0.01) for ICU transfer (67% sensitivity, 82% specificity, 10.8% positive and 98.7% negative predictive value at cutoff 41.8 mmHg). Hypercapnia (OR = 6.63, 95% CI: 2.15–20.46, p < 0.01) and acidosis (OR = 5.01, 95% CI: 1.26–19.9, p = 0.022) predicted the ICU transfer independently. The CBG parameters were not related to prolonged hospitalization or antibiotic treatment, and showed only a weak and clinically irrelevant correlation with other laboratory and clinical parameters. Conclusions: Acidosis and hypercapnia indicate patients at risk of an ICU transfer, and the pCO2 levels (including values lower than hypercapnia) seem to be a promising marker in ICU risk assessment.
Morphometry of the Entire Internal Carotid Artery on CT Angiography

Background and Objectives: Knowledge of the internal carotid artery’s (ICA) morphometric features is influential in outlining surgical and minimally invasive procedures in the neurovascular field. Many studies have shown divisive numbers regarding the ICA’s caliber, with the measuring point of the artery sometimes differing. This study presents ICA dimensions based on computed tomography angiography in each of its seven segments as per Bouthillier’s classification, correlating vascular dimensions with anthropometric parameters. Materials and Methods: A thorough CT angiography analysis was performed on 70 patients with internal carotid vessels unaffected by atherosclerotic disease. The extracranial part of the ICA was measured in four locations—carotid bulb, post-bulbar dilation, at its cervical midpoint, and below its entrance into the carotid foramen. Single landmarks were used for measurements in the intracranial segments. ICA length was assessed in the neck region and also in the cranial cavity. Craniometric measurements were performed on sagittal and coronal CT reconstructions. Patient height was taken into consideration. Results: The largest ICA portion is near its origin in the carotid sinus area (7.59 ± 1.00 mm), with a steep decline in caliber following its extracranial course. Distal ICA presented values somewhat similar to its proximal intracranial segment diameters (4.67 ± 0.47 mm). Dimensions of the ICA in the intracranial segments start from a value of 4.53 ± 0.47 mm and decrease by approximately 40% when reaching the origin of the middle cerebral artery (2.71 ± 0.37 mm), showing a marked decrease in caliber after the emergence of the most critical collateral artery, the ophthalmic branch. The length of the ICA varies between genders, with the male ICA being about 10 mm longer in total length than female ICA; this difference is also correlated with patient height and skull dimensions. Conclusions: Both intra- and extracranial ICA have variable dimensions and length related to gender and anthropometric parameters, with no significant differences obtained concerning side or age.
Studies towards the gas-phase detection of hazardous materials by vapor pressure measurements with the transpiration method in combination with vacuum outlet GC/MS

The present investigation is about the determination of the gas phase concentration parameters of the notorious explosives triacetone triperoxide (TATP, 1) and diacetone diperoxide (DADP, 2), which have been frequently used in improvised explosive devices. According to calculations with EXPLO5 the energetic performance of both explosives is similar. The enthalpy of sublimation Dgcr H m (298.15 K) (1: 76.7 0.7 kJ mol ; 2: 75.0 0.5 kJ mol ) and vapor pressures psat(298.15 K) (1: 6.7 Pa, 2: 26.6 Pa) of both compounds have been studied using the transpiration method in the ambient temperature range of 274–314 K. The results obtained in this work were compared critically with the existing literature values. Data for DADP (2) mostly shows agreement with literature ones. However data of TATP (1) obtained in this work revealed insufficient agreement of all sets of data available in literature, which might be explained by the rich polymorphism of TATP 1. The saturation and diffusion equilibrium concentration of both analytes was calculated at 298.15 K. In comparison to the saturation equilibrium concentration measured in this work (1: 600 mg L , 2: 1589 mg L ) the corresponding estimated diffusion condition air concentrations (1: 3.1 ng L , 2: 10 ng L , for a surface of 200 cm) are lower by five orders of magnitude.