Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines among Portuguese preschool children: the prestyle study

ABSTRACT Purpose The 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (24 hMG) provide specific recommendations, including physical activity (PA), screen-time and sleep-duration, which preschoolers should achieve for a healthy day (24 h). The aim of the current study was to analyse preschooler’s adherence with the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines. Methods The sample comprised 739 preschool children. PA was accelerometer-derived. Screen time and sleep duration were parent-reported through questionnaires. Preschoolers were classified as meeting/not meeting in each guideline and as well as for the overall 24hMG. Results/Findings According to the 24hMG, we found high percentages of preschoolers that met sleep guidelines (80.6%), only around 1/3 of preschool children met PA (28.6%) and a lower proportion met screen-time guidelines (20.3%). We found that 31.7% of the children met at least 2 of the recommendations and that more than half only one (52.8%). Overall, 4.5% of preschool children complied with the 24hMG and 11.1% of the children did not comply with any of the three recommendations. Conclusions Few preschoolers met PA and screen-time recommendations, which deeply impacts the preschooler’s adherence to the 24hMG. Future work should focus on finding solutions for promoting better adherence and mainly identifying ways to reduce screen time and increase PA at these ages.
Effects of clear-cutting on the vegetation and soil of an eastern hemlock dominated ecosystem, western Upper Michigan

The effects of clear-cutting on the vegetation and soil of an ecosystem dominated by eastern hemlock (Tsugacanadensis (L.) Carr. ) were studied at four locations along the boundaries of the Sylvania Recreation Area (Ottawa National Forest) in western Upper Michigan, U.S.A. The position of commercially clear-cut areas along the boundaries of the relatively undisturbed 8500-ha tract provided the opportunity to examine the probable effects of clear-cutting after an average of 46 years afterward. Clear-cutting resulted in the virtual elimination of hemlock from the overstory; it was replaced by a mixed forest of red maple (Acerrubrum L.), yellow birch (Betulaalleghaniensis Britt.), sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.), and balsam fir (Abiesbalsamea L.). The ecological species groups characteristic of the ground cover of the uncut plots were not substantially different from the groups now present on the clear-cut plots. The thickness, mass, and nutrient (K+, Mg2+, Ca2+) contents of the forest floor decreased sign.
Emotional Bias Modification in Youths with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): New Research Vista

Whilst cognitive bias modification was initially used in the treatment of anxiety disorders, it is also currently being used for the treatment of other psychopathologies. In fact, cognitive bias modification has been especially well-investigated amongst children and adolescents. A recent review suggests some evidence for the modification of interpretative biases amongst children with neurodevelopment disorders. There have since been other studies reporting of the existence of other cognitive biases, such as emotional biases, amongst individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This perspective article will discuss the epidemiology of ADHD and the nature of emotional biases that are present amongst individuals with ADHD. This perspective article also reviewed some of the studies that have assessed and modified emotional biases in individuals with ADHD. A total of three studies have been identified from the published literature that provide evidence for targeting emotional biases amongst individuals with ADHD. These studies provide us with preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of modifying emotional biases and how it could help in ameliorating symptoms related to emotional dysregulation. There needs to be future research in this area with further evidence supporting the effectiveness of modifying emotional biases. It is also crucial for future research to determine which of these tools is best at detecting such biases, and which of these tools are versatile enough and non-invasive that they could safely be implemented for both research and clinical needs.
HIV incidence among older adults in a rural South African setting: 2010-2015.

INTRODUCTION In South Africa evidence shows high HIV prevalence in older populations, with sexual behavior consistent with high HIV acquisition and transmission risk. However, there is a dearth of evidence on older people's HIV incidence. METHODS We used a 2010-11 cohort of HIV negative adults in rural South Africa who were 40 years or older at retest in 2015-16, to estimate HIV incidence over a five-year period. We used Poisson regression to measure the association of HIV seroconversion with demographic and behavioral covariates. We used inverse probability sampling weights to adjust for nonresponse in 2015, based on a logistic regression with predictors of sex and age group at August 2010. RESULTS HIV prevalence increased from 21% at baseline to 23% in the follow-up survey. From a cohort of 1360 individuals, 33 seroconverted from HIV-negative at baseline, giving an overall HIV incidence rate of 0.39 per 100 person-years (95% CI 0.28-0.57). Rate for women was 0.44 (95% CI 0.30-0.67), double that for men, 0.21 (95% CI 0.10-0.51). The IRRs again show women's risk of seroconverting double that of men (IRR=2.04, p-value = 0.098). Past age 60 the IRR of seroconversion were significantly lower than for those in their 40s (60-69, IRR=0.09, p-value=0.002; 70-79, IRR=0.14, p-value = 0.010). CONCLUSION The risk of acquiring HIV is not zero for people over 50, especially women. Our findings highlight the importance of acknowledging that older people are at high risk of HIV infection and that HIV prevention and treatment campaigns must take them into consideration.
Hypoalbuminaemia in COVID‐19 infection: A predictor of severity or a potential therapeutic target?

We read with interest the findings of Huang's et al.'s retrospective study which revealed an association between hypoalbuminaemia and mortality in COVID-19. In response to their findings we have synthesised a structured summary of the literature in order to discuss conclusions that could be drawn collectively. Furthermore, the authors also discuss a potential therapeutic role for correction of this hypoalbuminaemia. We would like to consider the applicability and relevance of the existing literature concerning albumin infusion in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and severe sepsis, the principal causes of mortality in COVID-19. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Role of Advanced Glycation End Products on Aortic Calcification in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). This was a prospective cross-sectional study. One-hundred and four consecutive patients with DM2 were given lateral lumbar X-rays in order to quantify abdominal aortic calcification (AAC). Circulating levels of AGEs and classical cardiovascular risk factors were determined. Clinical history was also registered. Patients with higher AGEs values had higher grades of aortic calcification and higher numbers of diabetic-related complications. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that being older, male and having high levels of AGEs and triglycerides were the independent risk factors associated to moderate-severe AAC when compared to no-mild AAC. Our results suggest that AGEs plays a role in the pathogenesis of aortic calcifications. In addition, the measurement of AGEs levels may be useful for assessing the severity of AAC in the setting of diabetic complications.
Managing Free-Range Laying Hens—Part A: Frequent and Non-Frequent Range Users Differ in Laying Performance but Not Egg Quality

Simple Summary Free-range laying hens are allowed to roam around and exhibit their desired behaviours including usage of the outdoor range. Consequently, flock sub-populations of high-range users (“rangers”) and low-range users (“stayers”) appear. The subpopulation effect on egg production and egg quality has not been studied to date. Rangers were more consistent in their range use, while stayers increased their range use over time. Rangers came into lay earlier compared to the stayers but their egg production dropped during mid-lay until the end of lay when they were outperformed by the stayers. The flock sub-populations did not differ in their egg quality during the production period. These findings are of relevance to egg producers, as it allows them to manage their flock knowing that they can encourage them to range/stay in the shed without compromising egg quality, including off-grade eggs. In the future, it would be interesting to investigate if increased egg performance was triggered by the more frequent range usage. Abstract Little is known about the impact of ranging on laying performance and egg quality of free-range hens. The aim of this study was to characterise egg production of commercial free-range laying hen sub-populations of low-, moderate- and high-range use at an early age. A total of five flocks with 40,000 hens/flock were investigated where 1875 hens/flock were randomly selected at 16 weeks of age, monitored for their range use and subsequently grouped into “stayers” (the 20% of hens that spent the least time on the range), “roamers” (the 20% of the hens that used the range more than stayers but less than rangers) and “rangers” (the 60% of the hens that spent the most time on the range). Eggs from the individual groups were collected in 10-weekly intervals until hens were 72 weeks of age, commercially graded and tested for several quality parameters. Significant differences were noted for hen-day production. For example, at 22 weeks of age, rangers enjoyed a laying rate of 88.0% ± 1.1%, while stayers performed at 78.2% ± 1.9% but at 72 weeks of age egg production of rangers was 85.1% ± 0.9% and of stayers was 95.5% ± 0.9% (p < 0.05). Range use was of minor importance to the egg quality.
The coronavirus (COVID‐19) fatality risk perception of US adult residents in March and April 2020

The study compares empirical results on the coronavirus SARS‐CoV‐2 (causing COVID‐19) fatality risk perception of US adult residents stratified for age, gender, and race in mid‐March 2020 (N1 = 1,182) and mid‐April 2020 (N2 = 953). While the fatality risk perception has increased from March 2020 to April 2020, our findings suggest that many US adult residents severely underestimated their absolute and relative fatality risk (i.e., differentiated for subgroups defined by pre‐existing medical conditions and age) at both time points compared to current epidemiological figures. These results are worrying because risk perception, as our study indicates, relates to actual or intended health‐protective behaviour that can reduce SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission rates.
On the Secondary Structure of Silk Fibroin Nanoparticles Obtained Using Ionic Liquids: An Infrared Spectroscopy Study

Silk fibroin from Bombyx mori caterpillar is an outstanding biocompatible polymer for the production of biomaterials. Its impressive combination of strength, flexibility, and degradability are related to the protein’s secondary structure, which may be altered during the manufacture of the biomaterial. The present study looks at the silk fibroin secondary structure during nanoparticle production using ionic liquids and high-power ultrasound using novel infrared spectroscopic approaches. The infrared spectrum of silk fibroin fibers shows that they are composed of 58% β-sheet, 9% turns, and 33% irregular and/or turn-like structures. When fibroin was dissolved in ionic liquids, its amide I band resembled that of soluble silk and no β-sheet absorption was detected. Silk fibroin nanoparticles regenerated from the ionic liquid solution exhibited an amide I band that resembled that of the silk fibers but had a reduced β-sheet content and a corresponding higher content of turns, suggesting an incomplete turn-to-sheet transition during the regeneration process. Both the analysis of the experimental infrared spectrum and spectrum calculations suggest a particular type of β-sheet structure that was involved in this deficiency, whereas the two other types of β-sheet structure found in silk fibroin fibers were readily formed.
Lactobacilli Supplemented with Larch Arabinogalactan and Colostrum Stimulates an Immune Response towards Peripheral NK Activation and Gut Tolerance

Probiotics possibly affect local and systemic immune reactions and maintain the intestinal immune homeostasis in healthy individuals and patients with diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In this single-center, blinded trial, we enrolled 40 individuals (20 patients with IBS and 20 healthy individuals) whose blood and fecal samples were collected before and after a 21-day administration of a product comprising Lactobacillus spp. , larch arabinogalactan, and colostrum. The percentage of HLA-DR+ natural killer (NK) cells was higher in healthy individuals (p = 0.03) than in patients with IBS after product supplementation. In the fecal samples of patients with IBS, we observed a decline in IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and secretory IgA levels and, simultaneously, an increase in IL-10 and IL-17A levels after supplementation, although non-significant, whereas, in healthy individuals, we observed a significant decline in IL-6 and IFN-γ levels after supplementation (p < 0.001). Nevertheless, we observed a clinical improvement of symptoms in 65–75% of patients with IBS and the complete resolution of the initial symptoms in five of the 20 patients. We also observed a possible prophylactic effect by the inducing system antiviral impact accompanied by a trend for local immune tolerance in the gut in healthy individuals, where it is the desirable state.
Purpose in life in adulthood and older adulthood: integrative review

Purpose in life (PiL) is defined as the sense that life has meaning and intentionality, and plays a guiding role in life goals and decision making regarding the use of personal resources. Objectives: to recognize and analyze data on PiL and conditions associated with good aging or with positive adaptation in aging. Method: an integrative review of articles in peer-reviewed journals published in the PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycInfo and Scielo/BVS/Lilacs databases was performed using the terms “purpose in life” and “aging” in the title, without temporal restriction. Results: twenty-seven articles were selected, 22 of which were conducted under large prospective longitudinal studies, 3 were cross-sectional studies and 2 were experimental studies. The studies revealed robust associations between high PiL scores and lower risk of death, Alzheimer’s disease, coronary and cerebrovascular diseases, disability, and sleep disorders; high PiL and positive outcomes in health, cognition, emotional regulation, subjective well-being, and sense of adjustment; PiL as a moderator or resilience resource between risks and adversities and good adaptation. These data are useful for research and intervention involving long-lived and vulnerable older persons.
Sites and processes of association between diazotrophs and grasses

Les organismes diazotrophes. Les effets de l'inoculation avec Azospirillum. Les mecanismes de la reponse de croissance de la plante. La colonisation de la rhizosphere. La deformation des racines et la colonisation de l'interieur de la racine
Biosynthesis of porphyrins and related macrocycles. Part 42. Pulse labelling experiments concerning the timing of cobalt insertion during vitamin B12 biosynthesis

Pulse labelling experiments using 60Co2+ and [methyl-13C, 14C]-S-adenosyl-L-methionine have established that in the anaerobic organism Propionibacterium shermanii cobalt is inserted into the macrocycle after the second and before the fourth C-methylation step.
Cadmium-Induced Oxidative Stress: Focus on the Central Nervous System

Cadmium (Cd), a category I human carcinogen, is a well-known widespread environmental pollutant. Chronic Cd exposure affects different organs and tissues, such as the central nervous system (CNS), and its deleterious effects can be linked to indirect reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Since Cd is predominantly present in +2 oxidation state, it can interplay with a plethora of channels and transporters in the cell membrane surface in order to enter the cells. Mitochondrial dysfunction, ROS production, glutathione depletion and lipid peroxidation are reviewed in order to better characterize the Cd-elicited molecular pathways. Furthermore, Cd effects on different CNS cell types have been highlighted to better elucidate its role in neurodegenerative disorders. Indeed, Cd can increase blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability and promotes Cd entry that, in turn, stimulates pericytes in maintaining the BBB open. Once inside the CNS, Cd acts on glial cells (astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes) triggering a pro-inflammatory cascade that accounts for the Cd deleterious effects and neurons inducing the destruction of synaptic branches.
Targeting the CBP/β-Catenin Interaction to Suppress Activation of Cancer-Promoting Pancreatic Stellate Cells

Background: Although cyclic AMP-response element binding protein-binding protein (CBP)/β-catenin signaling is known to promote proliferation and fibrosis in various organ systems, its role in the activation of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), the key effector cells of desmoplasia in pancreatic cancer and fibrosis in chronic pancreatitis, is largely unknown. Methods: To investigate the role of the CBP/β-catenin signaling pathway in the activation of PSCs, we have treated mouse and human PSCs with the small molecule specific CBP/β-catenin antagonist ICG-001 and examined the effects of treatment on parameters of activation. Results: We report for the first time that CBP/β-catenin antagonism suppresses activation of PSCs as evidenced by their decreased proliferation, down-regulation of “activation” markers, e.g., α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA/Acta2), collagen type I alpha 1 (Col1a1), Prolyl 4-hydroxylase, and Survivin, up-regulation of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (Ppar-γ) which is associated with quiescence, and reduced migration; additionally, CBP/β-catenin antagonism also suppresses PSC-induced migration of cancer cells. Conclusion: CBP/β-catenin antagonism represents a novel therapeutic strategy for suppressing PSC activation and may be effective at countering PSC promotion of pancreatic cancer.
A Prospective Multicenter Study on the Prevalence of Fructose Malabsorption in Patients with Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background and Aims: Patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) might have a higher prevalence of fructose malabsorption than healthy controls. This study’s aim was to determine the prevalence and symptom severity of fructose malabsorption in patients with active and inactive IBD. Methods: The present study was a multicenter noninterventional diagnostic pilot trial. Two hundred fifty-one participants were recruited from 12 outpatient clinics for internal medicine across Germany and from the University of Kiel. Fructose malabsorption was diagnosed by hydrogen breath testing. Patients diagnosed with bacterial overgrowth, non-H2 producers, and patients who were tested positive for lactose malabsorption were excluded. Gastrointestinal symptoms during breath testing were evaluated using four-point subjective items to determine severity of bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Results: Two hundred five patients (45 with active IBD, 80 with IBD in remission, and 81 healthy controls) were analyzed. The number of patients diagnosed with fructose malabsorption – 35/44 (79.6%) in patients with active IBD, 59/80 (73.8%) inactive IBD, and 66/81 (81.5%) in healthy controls – did not differ between the groups (χ2 [2, N = 205] = 1.48, p = 0.48). However, abdominal pain was more frequent in patients with active IBD than patients with IBD in remission (z = −2.936, p = 0.010), and diarrhea was more frequent in patients with active IBD than in healthy controls (z = 2.489, p = 0.038). Conclusions: Fructose malabsorption is not more common among patients with IBD than healthy subjects. However, the greater prevalence of patient-reported symptoms among patients with IBD may be of pathological and therapeutic relevance.
Single and Combined Fe and S Deficiency Differentially Modulate Root Exudate Composition in Tomato: A Double Strategy for Fe Acquisition?

Fe chlorosis is considered as one of the major constraints on crop growth and yield worldwide, being particularly worse when associated with S shortage, due to the tight link between Fe and S. Plant adaptation to inadequate nutrient availabilities often relies on the release of root exudates that enhance nutrients, mobilization from soil colloids and favour their uptake by roots. This work aims at characterizing the exudomic profile of hydroponically grown tomato plants subjected to either single or combined Fe and S deficiency, as well as at shedding light on the regulation mechanisms underlying Fe and S acquisition processes by plants. Root exudates have been analysed by untargeted metabolomics, through liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry as well as gas chromatography–mass spectrometry following derivatization. More than 200 metabolites could be putatively annotated. Venn diagrams show that 23%, 10% and 21% of differential metabolites are distinctively modulated by single Fe deficiency, single S deficiency or combined Fe–S deficiency, respectively. Interestingly, for the first time, a mugineic acid derivative is detected in dicot plants root exudates. The results seem to support the hypothesis of the co-existence of the two Fe acquisition strategies in tomato plants.
QTL analysis of forage quality traits in barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.)

Despite the importance of barley as an animal feed, its forage quality has usually been neglected in breeding programs. In order to map the genomic regions, which modify barley forage quality, a population of 72 F 1 -derived doubled haploid lines (DH) from the cross “Steptoe/Morex” and their two parents were sown in Karaj and Zabol provinces of Iran, in each under a randomized complete block arrangement with two replications. Forage samples were oven-dried and ground and dry matter digestibility (DMD), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), crude fiber (CF), crude protein (CP), water-soluble carbohydrates and ash content were measured by NIRS. Analysis of variance showed that genotype, environment and genotype-environment interaction have significant effects on almost all studied traits. Several QTLs were resolved for each studied trait in both environments. Highest LOD scores were obtained for CF, ADF and DMD on chromosome 2H and for ash and CP on chromoso.