Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Nutrition Education Interventions in Team Sport Players. A Systematic Review

Considering nutrition education interventions have been frequently implemented in team sport athletes and have shown promising results, this study aimed to summarize the effects of nutrition education interventions on eating habits, nutrition knowledge, body composition, and physical performance in team sport athletes. A systematic review was conducted using the following databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science and SPORTDiscus. A total of 14 studies met the inclusion criteria for the review. The methodological quality of included studies was evaluated, and each study was assessed according to the analyzed variables (i.e., eating habits, nutrition knowledge, body composition, and physical performance). Most studies showed improvements in or maintenance of variables used to indicate eating habits, nutrition knowledge, and body composition. However, limited studies examined the effect of nutrition education interventions on physical performance, with existing studies demonstrating disparate results. These findings suggest implementation of nutrition education interventions in team sport athletes could be an effective strategy to improve their eating habits, nutrition knowledge, and body composition. Due to the heterogeneity across the included studies regarding sport modality, competition level, age, and sex of the athletes investigated, as well as the intervention type adopted (i.e., online or face-to-face), it is difficult to establish optimal nutrition education interventions for each analyzed variable.
Effects of oral supplementation with organically modified clinoptilolite during prepartum period on colostrum quality in primiparous dairy cows

Abstract This research paper addresses the hypothesis that an oral supplementation with organically modified clinoptilolite will improve colostrum quality in primiparous dairy cows whilst having no adverse effects on the cows' health. A total of 36 pregnant Holstein primiparous dairy cattle were randomly assigned to receive daily oral drenching, two hours following morning feeding, with 1 l of water containing either 0 g/l (n = 16) or 150 g/l (n = 20) of clinoptilolite. Treatment lasted from 24 ± 4 d prior to expected parturition until two days postpartum (pp). Colostrum was collected at 2 to 3 h, 12, 24 and 36 h pp and blood samples were collected at 24 ± 4 and 4 ± 2 d prior to parturition and 1, 2 and 7 d pp. Overall mean dry matter, fat and total protein percentage as well as IgG concentration and mass were significantly greater in colostrum collected from cattle drenched with clinoptilolite (total protein increased by 15% and IgG concentration and mass by 21 and 38% respectively at first sampling and further at second sampling). Total γ globulin and most other blood serum biochemistry parameters did not differ between cattle treated and not treated with clinoptilolite, the only exception being the fast anionic γ globulin fraction that was 17% greater at 4 ± 2 d prior to parturition and 10% lower on the 1st day pp in treated cattle. These results showed that organically modified oral clinoptilolite supplementation at 150 g/d significantly increases the IgG concentration in colostrum and has no adverse effects on the energy status, protein, lipid, and mineral metabolism in primiparous dairy cattle during prepartum period.
Antibiotic Susceptibility and Molecular Characterization of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Associated with Community-Acquired Urinary Tract Infections in Urban and Rural Settings in South Africa

We investigated the phenotypic and genotypic antibiotic resistance, and clonality of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) implicated in community-acquired urinary tract infections (CA-UTIs) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Mid-stream urine samples (n = 143) were cultured on selective media. Isolates were identified using the API 20E kit and their susceptibility to 17 antibiotics tested using the disk diffusion method. Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) were detected using ROSCO kits. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect uropathogenic E. coli (targeting the papC gene), and β-lactam (blaTEM/blaSHV-like and blaCTX-M) and fluoroquinolone (qnrA, qnrB, qnrS, gyrA, parC, aac(6’)-Ib-cr, and qepA) resistance genes. Clonality was ascertained using ERIC-PCR. The prevalence of UTIs of Gram-negative etiology among adults 18–60 years of age in the uMgungundlovu District was 19.6%. Twenty-six E. coli isolates were obtained from 28 positive UTI samples. All E. coli isolates were papC-positive. The highest resistance was to ampicillin (76.9%) and the lowest (7.7%) to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and gentamycin. Four isolates were multidrug-resistant and three were ESBL-positive, all being CTX-M-positive but SHV-negative. The aac(6’)-Ib-cr and gyrA were the most detected fluoroquinolone resistance genes (75%). Isolates were clonally distinct, suggesting the spread of genetically diverse UPEC clones within the three communities. This study highlights the spread of genetically diverse antibiotic-resistant CA-UTI aetiologic agents, including multidrug-resistant ones, and suggests a revision of current treatment options for CA-UTIs in rural and urban settings.
PupStruct: Prediction of Pupylated Lysine Residues Using Structural Properties of Amino Acids

Post-translational modification (PTM) is a critical biological reaction which adds to the diversification of the proteome. With numerous known modifications being studied, pupylation has gained focus in the scientific community due to its significant role in regulating biological processes. The traditional experimental practice to detect pupylation sites proved to be expensive and requires a lot of time and resources. Thus, there have been many computational predictors developed to challenge this issue. However, performance is still limited. In this study, we propose another computational method, named PupStruct, which uses the structural information of amino acids with a radial basis kernel function Support Vector Machine (SVM) to predict pupylated lysine residues. We compared PupStruct with three state-of-the-art predictors from the literature where PupStruct has validated a significant improvement in performance over them with statistical metrics such as sensitivity (0.9234), specificity (0.9359), accuracy (0.9296), precision (0.9349), and Mathew’s correlation coefficient (0.8616) on a benchmark dataset.
Physiological Impact of Palm Olein or Palm Oil in Infant Formulas: A Review of Clinical Evidence

Palm oil/olein (PO/POL) is used in infant formulas to imitate the fatty acid profile of human milk (HM) and achieve similar levels of palmitic acid (PA). However, the positions of fatty acids on the triacylglyceride differ between PO/POL and HM, which affect fat absorption and produce unintended physiological consequences. Recent papers have reviewed evidence for physiological benefits of PO/POL and beta-palmitate (sn-2-palmitate) in infant formulas. The aim of the present review is to supplement the assessment of available clinical evidence on the physiological effects of PO/POL formulas in healthy infants. We intend to focus on PO/POL and not on sn-2-palmitate, since the latter was recently extensively reviewed. Clinical evidence supports that PO/POL in infant formulas leads to a lower fat, DHA, palmitate and calcium absorption, and bone mineralization; soft stools; and growth (weight accretion) compared to formulas without PO/POL. Consequently, it seems prudent to be considerate and cautious when adding PO/POL to infant formulas. While HM is the gold standard for infant nutrition, the development of infant formula should be based on achieving positive physiological outcomes, rather than just replicating HM nutrient composition.
Melatonin/Nrf2/NLRP3 Connection in Mouse Heart Mitochondria during Aging

Aging is a major risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Age-related disorders include oxidative stress, mitochondria dysfunction, and exacerbation of the NF-κB/NLRP3 innate immune response pathways. Some of the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes, however, remain unclear. This study tested the hypothesis that NLRP3 inflammasome plays a role in cardiac aging and melatonin is able to counteract its effects. With the aim of investigating the impact of NLRP3 inflammasome and the actions and target of melatonin in aged myocardium, we analyzed the expression of proteins implied in mitochondria dynamics, autophagy, apoptosis, Nrf2-dependent antioxidant response and mitochondria ultrastructure in heart of wild-type and NLRP3-knockout mice of 3, 12, and 24 months-old, with and without melatonin treatment. Our results showed that the absence of NLRP3 prevented age-related mitochondrial dynamic alterations in cardiac muscle with minimal effects in cardiac autophagy during aging. The deficiency of the inflammasome affected Bax/Bcl2 ratio, but not p53 or caspase 9. The Nrf2-antioxidant pathway was also unaffected by the absence of NLRP3. Furthermore, NLRP3-deficiency prevented the drop in autophagy and mice showed less mitochondrial damage than wild-type animals. Interestingly, melatonin treatment recovered mitochondrial dynamics altered by aging and had few effects on cardiac autophagy. Melatonin supplementation also had an anti-apoptotic action in addition to restoring Nrf2-antioxidant capacity and improving mitochondria ultrastructure altered by aging.
Latent Tuberculosis Infection and Elevated Incidence of Hypertension

The global prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) exceeds 1.7 billion.1 Clinically, tuberculosis is categorized as either active or latent. Active tuberculosis is characterized by persistent infection and clinical symptoms such as chronic cough, weight loss, night sweats, and fatigue and has significant associated acute and subacute morbidity.1,2 Conversely, LTBI is characterized by chronic, clinically asymptomatic infection in the setting of robust inflammatory signaling, marked by production of tumor necrosis factor-α, interferons, and interleukins.2 Despite clear evidence from clinical and experimental models on the role of amplified and dysregulated inflammation in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated risk factors,3,4 data relating LTBI to CVD risk factors and overt CVD are sparse. Given the link between LTBI and proinflammatory immune dysregulation, the role of inflammation in CVD and its risk factors, and recent cross-sectional evidence suggesting heightened myocardial infarction risk among people with LTBI,5 we investigated associations of LTBI with major CVD risk factors: diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension. Our study was exempt by institutional board review. Data were de-identified by the Northwestern Medicine Enterprise Data Warehouse team before our access. The data that support our findings in this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Using the Northwestern Medicine Enterprise Data Warehouse, a comprehensive data repository on over 6.6 million patients in a large metropolitan healthcare system, adults aged 18 to 75 with LTBI and frequency-matched on age, sex, race, and geographic region with non-LTBI controls were identified. Patients meeting these conditions who received care (defined as at least 1 face-to-face encounter every 2 years between baseline and censoring date) between January 1, 2000 and January 1, 2020 were included. Of 7298 total patients, 5185 had neither hypertension nor DM at baseline and were eligible for analyses (2679 LTBI and 2506 LTBI-free controls). LTBI was defined by both diagnosis of LTBI and either a positive tuberculin skin test and/or interferon-γ release assay (T Spot, QuantiFERON). Comorbid conditions were identified based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and Tenth Revision (ICD-9 and ICD-10) codes. Multivariable Cox regression analysis, adjusting for age, sex, and race, was performed to evaluate the incidence of DM and hypertension. A sensitivity analysis was performed with additional adjustment for baseline body mass index, total cholesterol level, and HIV serostatus. Smoking status was not widely available, precluding additional adjustment for smoking. Statistical significance was defined as P<0.05. Statistical analyses were performed using R (https://R-proje ct.org/) survival and mice packages.
Strand Displacement Activity of PrimPol

Human PrimPol is a unique enzyme possessing DNA/RNA primase and DNA polymerase activities. In this work, we demonstrated that PrimPol efficiently fills a 5-nt gap and possesses the conditional strand displacement activity stimulated by Mn2+ ions and accessory replicative proteins RPA and PolDIP2. The DNA displacement activity of PrimPol was found to be more efficient than the RNA displacement activity and FEN1 processed the 5′-DNA flaps generated by PrimPol in vitro.
The Mediterranean Athlete’s Nutrition: Are Protein Supplements Necessary?

(1) Background: It is recommended that an athlete, in order to ensure correct nutrition and performance, should consume between 1.2 and 2.0 g/kg/day of protein, while the daily recommended protein intake for a non-athlete is 0.8and 0.9 mg/kg/day. It is unclear if athletes living in Mediterranean countries are able to meet protein requirements without supplementation, since Mediterranean diet de-emphasizes meat and meat products. (2) Methods: 166 athletes (125 males) enrolled between 2017 and 2019 were required to keep a dietary journal for three consecutive days (2 workdays and 1 weekend day). Athletes had to be >18 years old, train in a particular sport activity more than 3 h a week and compete at least at an amateur level. Journal data were collected and then translated into macro-nutrient content (grams of protein, carbohydrates, and lipids) by a nutritionist. (3) Results: The protein intake reported by this specific population vary slightly from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), Dietitians of Canada (DC), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) joint statement recommendation level. Average protein levels without protein supplementation fell within the protein guidelines. Counterintuitively, the intake among those who supplemented their diet with protein was higher compared with those who did not, even when excluding the contribution of supplements. Although the majority of subjects participating in the study were able to meet protein intake recommended for athletes without protein supplementation, 27% of athletes were below the guideline range. (4) Conclusions: these data suggest that athletes’ nutrition should be more often evaluated by a nutritionist and that they will benefit from increasing their nutritional knowledge in order to make better food choices, resorting to protein supplementation only when effectively needed.
Gastrointestinal tract metastasis of lung cancer: The PD‐L1 expression and correlated clinicopathological variables

The gastrointestinal tract is a rare site for metastatic lung cancer. Programmed cell death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) expression in lung cancer is a biomarker for the response to anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 therapy. We investigated clinicopathological features and PD‐L1 expression in 25 gastrointestinal metastatic tumors from the lung and primary adenocarcinoma of the small bowel. The small bowel was the most common site (16/25; 64%) of gastrointestinal tract lung cancer metastasis. A total of 19 (76%) of the gastrointestinal metastasis showed PD‐L1 expression in ≥5% of tumor cells, with 14 (56%) showing high expression levels (≥50%). In contrast, 21 (84%) expressed PD‐L1 in ≥5% immune cells, including 4 (16%) showing a high expression levels (≥50%). The PD‐L1 expression on tumor cells and immune cells in primary lung cancer and corresponding gastrointestinal metastasis was concordant in 13 (68%) and 11 (58%) of the 19 paired cases, respectively. Small‐bowel metastasis of lung cancer was characterized by a higher incidence of perforation (31% vs. 0%), ulcerated mass (83% vs. 60%), and neoplastic PD‐L1 expression (75% vs. 0%) compared to primary small‐bowel adenocarcinoma. Gastrointestinal metastasis from lung cancer might be a potential target for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, given its high expression of PD‐L1.
Effects of nurses’ shiftwork characteristics and aspects of private life on work-life conflict

Background As nurses work highly irregular hours, the characteristics of shiftwork and aspects of their private lives are important factors that may contribute significantly to work-life conflict. Purpose This study examined the effects of nurses’ shiftwork characteristics and aspects of their private lives on work-life conflict. Methods The participants included 271 registered nurses working three-shift rotations in five types of units at four hospitals in South Korea. We distributed structured questionnaires regarding shiftwork characteristics, private life, and work-life conflict. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis. Results The significant factors relating to work-life conflict included control over shift start and finish times (β = -0.16, p = .019), frequency of swapping shifts with colleagues (β = 0.15, p = .025) among shiftwork characteristics, and leisure constraints (β = 0.39, p = < .001) in aspects of private life. Conclusion Plan and policies for improving nursing environments should focus on improving nurses’ control over shiftwork and decreasing leisure constraints.
Higher inflammation and cerebral white matter injury associated with cognitive deficit in asthmatic patients with depression

Abstract Objective Depression is a common co-morbidity in asthma, worsening asthma control and impairing quality of life. Previous studies have reported a higher risk of cognitive deficit in depression, yet little research has focused on the level of cognition in asthmatic patients with depression. Evidence shows that inflammation may play an important role in both asthma and depression. Cerebral white matter injury, possibly induced by inflammation, has been associated with depression. This study assesses cognitive function in patients with asthma and a depression comorbidity, compared to patients with asthma only or depression only. Methods Four groups were studied: Asthma comorbid Depression group (A + D, n = 26), Depression group (D, n = 25), Asthma group (A, n = 33) and Normal controls (N, n = 28). Cognitive function was evaluated using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Inflammatory cytokines were measured, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), high-mobility group box 1(HMGB1) and Netrin-1. Cerebral white matter injury was assessed by serum myelin basic protein (MBP) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), and their correlations with cognitive performance were calculated. Results A + D group showed the highest incidence of cognitive deficit, with the cognitive domain particularly affected. Compared to N group, serum levels of IL-6, HMGB1, Netrin-1, MBP and MOG were significantly elevated in A + D group. MOG level negatively correlated with the MoCA score. Conclusion Patients with comorbidities presented with more severe cognitive deficits and higher levels of inflammatory cytokines. Cerebral white matter injury may account for the cognitive deficit in patients and MOG could be a potential biomarker for this process.
Proteasome subunit α4s is essential for formation of spermatoproteasomes and histone degradation during meiotic DNA repair in spermatocytes

Meiosis, which produces haploid progeny, is critical to ensuring both faithful genome transmission and genetic diversity. Proteasomes play critical roles at various stages of spermatogenesis, including meiosis, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The atypical proteasomes, which contain the activator PA200, catalyze the acetylation-dependent degradation of the core histones in elongated spermatids and DNA repair in somatic cells. We show here that the testis-specific proteasome subunit α4s/PSMA8 is essential for male fertility by promoting proper formation of spermatoproteasomes, which harbor both PA200 and constitutive catalytic subunits. Immunostaining of a spermatocyte marker, SYCP3, indicated that meiosis was halted at the stage of spermatocytes in the α4s-deficient testes. α4s stimulated the in vitro degradation of the acetylated core histones, instead of nonacetylated histones, by the PA200-proteasome. Deletion of α4s blocked degradation of the core histones at DNA damage loci in spermatocytes, leading to meiotic arrest at metaphase I. Thus, α4s is required for histone degradation at meiotic DNA damage loci, proper progression of meiosis, and fertility in males by promoting proper formation of spermatoproteasomes. These results are important for understanding male infertility and might provide potential targets for male contraception or treatment of male infertility.
Clinical practice guidelines for the management of biliary tract cancers 2019: The 3rd English edition

The Japanese Society of Hepato‐Biliary‐Pancreatic Surgery launched the clinical practice guidelines for the management of biliary tract cancers (cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder cancer, and ampullary cancer) in 2007, then published the 2nd version in 2014.
Relationship of Platelet Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa and CD62P With Hypercoagulable State After Oncologic Surgery

The biomarkers for predicting venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) after oncologic surgery are still lacking. The current study aimed to analyze the relationships of CD62P and GP IIb/IIIa with hypercoagulation after oncologic surgery. A total of 76 patients with primary abdominopelvic tumors in our hospital were enrolled. The patients were divided into groups A (malignancy with no VTE group), B (malignancy with VTE group), and C (benign with no VTE group). Twenty healthy volunteers were selected as control. The plasma CD62P (4.69 ± 2.55 vs. 1.76 ± 0.48) and the GP IIb/IIIa (9.28 ± 3.79 vs. 1.76 ± 0.48) levels in group A were significantly higher than those in the control group preoperatively. The CD62P (31.46 ± 17.13 vs. 13.51 ± 7.43, P < 0.05), GP IIb/IIIa (42.33 ± 21.82 vs. 13.51 ± 7.43, P < 0.05), and D-dimer (7.33 ± 2.34 vs. 2.03 ± 0.55, P < 0.05) levels in group B were markedly higher 7 days after operation compared with those in group A. The CD62P and the GP IIb/IIIa exhibited a positive correlation with the hypercoagulable state after oncologic surgery.
Effect of Plasma-Treatment of Interleaved Thermoplastic Films on Delamination in Interlayer Fibre Hybrid Composite Laminates

Safe, light, and high-performance engineering structures may be generated by adopting composite materials with stable damage process (i.e., without catastrophic delamination). Interlayer hybrid composites may fail stably by suppressing catastrophic interlayer delamination. This paper provides a detailed analysis of delamination occurring in poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS) or polystyrene (PS) film interleaved carbon-glass/epoxy hybrid composites. The ABS films toughened the interfaces of the hybrid laminates, generating materials with higher mode II interlaminar fracture toughness (GIIC), delamination stress (σdel), and eliminating the stress drops observed in the reference baseline material, i.e., without interleaf films, during tensile tests. Furthermore, stable behaviour was achieved by treating the ABS films in oxygen plasma. The mechanical performance (GIIC and σdel) of hybrid composites containing PS films, were initially reduced but increased after oxygen plasma treatment. The plasma treatment introduced O-C=O and O-C-O-O functional groups on the PS surfaces, enabling better epoxy/PS interactions. Microscopy analysis provided evidence of the toughening mechanisms, i.e., crack deflection, leading plasma-treated PS to stabilise delamination.