Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biologically Compatible Lead-Free Piezoelectric Composite for Acoustophoresis Based Particle Manipulation Techniques

This research paper is concentrated on the design of biologically compatible lead-free piezoelectric composites which may eventually replace traditional lead zirconium titanate (PZT) in micromechanical fluidics, the predominantly used ferroelectric material today. Thus, a lead-free barium–calcium zirconate titanate (BCZT) composite was synthesized, its crystalline structure and size, surface morphology, chemical, and piezoelectric properties were analyzed, together with the investigations done in variation of composite thin film thickness and its effect on the element properties. Four elements with different thicknesses of BCZT layers were fabricated and investigated in order to design a functional acoustophoresis micromechanical fluidic element, based on bulk acoustic generation for particle control technologies. Main methods used in this research were as follows: FTIR and XRD for evaluation of chemical and phase composition; SEM—for surface morphology; wettability measurements were used for surface free energy evaluation; a laser triangular sensing system—for evaluation of piezoelectric properties. XRD results allowed calculating the average crystallite size, which was 65.68 Å3 confirming the formation of BCZT nanoparticles. SEM micrographs results showed that BCZT thin films have some porosities on the surface with grain size ranging from 0.2 to 7.2 µm. Measurements of wettability showed that thin film surfaces are partially wetting and hydrophilic, with high degree of wettability and strong solid/liquid interactions for liquids. The critical surface tension was calculated in the range from 20.05 to 27.20 mN/m. Finally, investigations of piezoelectric properties showed significant results of lead-free piezoelectric composite, i.e., under 5 N force impulse thin films generated from 76 mV up to 782 mV voltages. Moreover, an experimental analysis showed that a designed lead-free BCZT element creates bulk acoustic waves and allows manipulating bio particles in this fluidic system.
Impact of Gloves and Mask Use on Epidermal Barrier Function in Health Care Workers

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 has rapidly spread all over the world. Personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks and gloves is needed to avoid transmission. Adverse skin reactions associated with PPE have been described, but there is no information regarding objective measures to assess skin impairment related to PPE. Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of using facial mask and nitrile gloves on epidermal barrier function and skin homeostasis. Methods A cross-sectional study was designed. Thirty-four health care workers wearing nitrile gloves and a mask for 2 hours were included. Transepidermal water loss, stratum corneum hydration, erythema, and temperature were measured. Results Transepidermal water loss (31.11 vs 14.24 g·m–2·h–1), temperature (33.29°C vs 32.57°C), and erythema were significantly greater at the area covered by gloves compared with the noncovered area. Transepidermal water loss (22.82 vs 13.69 g·m–2·h–1), temperature, and erythema (411.43 vs 335.52 arbitrary units) were significantly increased at the area covered by mask, whereas stratum corneum hydration was lower. Transepidermal water loss was greater at the area covered by a surgical mask than at a filtering respirator mask coded filtering facepiece 2 (27.09 vs 18.02 g·m–2·h–1, P = 0.034). Conclusions Skin homeostasis and epidermal barrier function may be impaired by gloves and mask use. High-quality PPE should be provided, and adequate skin prevention measures should be implemented to reduce epidermal barrier damage.
An in vivo screen of noncoding loci reveals that Daedalus is a gatekeeper of an Ikaros-dependent checkpoint during haematopoiesis

Significance The development of lymphocytes is critical for host immunity and relies on a series of developmental checkpoints regulated by key transcription factors such as Ikaros. We hypothesized that nonprotein-coding loci might represent an additional layer of control in lymphocyte development. We identified a noncoding region (Daedalus) whose absence leads to a profound loss of Ikaros protein and a severe reduction in early lymphocyte progenitors. In contrast to Ikaros deletion, removal of Daedalus also led to an increase in red-blood-cell colony formation, suggesting that Daedalus functions as a lineage-specific stabilizer of Ikaros activity, thus acting as a “gatekeeper” of a newly identified lymphoid-erythroid checkpoint. This finding presents a paradigm potentially applicable to the control of all developmental programs. Haematopoiesis relies on tightly controlled gene expression patterns as development proceeds through a series of progenitors. While the regulation of hematopoietic development has been well studied, the role of noncoding elements in this critical process is a developing field. In particular, the discovery of new regulators of lymphopoiesis could have important implications for our understanding of the adaptive immune system and disease. Here we elucidate how a noncoding element is capable of regulating a broadly expressed transcription factor, Ikaros, in a lymphoid lineage-specific manner, such that it imbues Ikaros with the ability to specify the lymphoid lineage over alternate fates. Deletion of the Daedalus locus, which is proximal to Ikaros, led to a severe reduction in early lymphoid progenitors, exerting control over the earliest fate decisions during lymphoid lineage commitment. Daedalus locus deletion led to alterations in Ikaros isoform expression and a significant reduction in Ikaros protein. The Daedalus locus may function through direct DNA interaction as Hi-C analysis demonstrated an interaction between the two loci. Finally, we identify an Ikaros-regulated erythroid-lymphoid checkpoint that is governed by Daedalus in a lymphoid-lineage–specific manner. Daedalus appears to act as a gatekeeper of Ikaros’s broad lineage-specifying functions, selectively stabilizing Ikaros activity in the lymphoid lineage and permitting diversion to the erythroid fate in its absence. These findings represent a key illustration of how a transcription factor with broad lineage expression must work in concert with noncoding elements to orchestrate hematopoietic lineage commitment.
The Modulating Effect of Dietary Beta-Glucan Supplementation on Expression of Immune Response Genes of Broilers during a Coccidiosis Challenge

Simple Summary Avian coccidiosis is the leading parasitic disease in the poultry industry and means to control its damages continue to be explored. This study evaluated the feeding effects of a yeast-derived β-glucan on expression of immune response genes in the spleen, thymus, and bursa of commercial broiler chickens during an Eimeria challenge. The study consisted of two dietary treatments (0% or 0.1% β-glucan) each with or without a coccidiosis challenge. There were significant effects from dietary β-glucan, Eimeria challenge, and their interaction for several gene targets in the spleen, thymus, and bursa on days 10 and 14 of age. Based on the current results, supplementation of dietary β-glucan in Eimeria-challenged birds enhanced and modulated the expression of immune response genes during coccidiosis. Abstract This study investigated the effects of a yeast-derived β-glucan (Auxoferm YGT) supplementation on mRNA expression of immune response genes in the spleen, thymus, and bursa of broiler chickens during a mixed Eimeria infection. Day (d)-old chicks (n = 1440) were fed diets containing 0% or 0.1% YGT. On d 8 post-hatch, half the replicate pens (n = 8) were challenged with a mixed inoculum of E. acervulina, E. maxima, and E. tenella. On d 10 and d 14 post-hatch, the spleen, thymus, and bursa were collected to evaluate mRNA abundance by quantitative real-time PCR. Data were analyzed using PROC GLIMMIX model (2-way interaction) and differences were established by LS-MEANS with significance reported at p ≤ 0.05. In spleen tissues at d 10, expression of interleukin (IL)-10 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were elevated in both 0.1% YGT-fed challenged and non-challenged birds. In thymus tissues at d 14, expression of IL-10, IL-17F, interferon (IFN)-γ, iNOS, and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) were elevated in challenged birds fed 0.1% YGT. In bursal tissues at d 10 and d 14, expression of IL-10, IFN-γ, iNOS (d 10 only), and MIF were elevated in 0.1% YGT-fed challenged and non-challenged birds. Dietary β-glucan supplementation to chicken diets modulated their immune response to the Eimeria challenge.
Prenatal Environmental Metal Exposure and Preterm Birth: A Scoping Review

Preterm birth (PTB) and its complications are the leading causes of under-five year old child deaths, accounting worldwide for an estimated one million deaths annually. The etiology of PTB is complex and multifactorial. Exposures to environmental metals or metalloids are pervasive and prenatal exposures to them are considered important in the etiology of PTB. We conducted a scoping review to determine the extent of prenatal exposures to four metals/metalloids (lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic) and their association with PTB. We reviewed original research studies published in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, POPLINE and the WHO regional indexes from 2000 to 2019; 36 articles were retained for full text review. We documented a higher incidence of PTB with lead and cadmium exposures. The findings for mercury and arsenic exposures were inconclusive. Metal-induced oxidative stress in the placenta, epigenetic modification, inflammation, and endocrine disruptions are the most common pathways through which heavy metals and metalloids affect placental functions leading to PTB. Most of the studies were from the high-income countries, reflecting the need for additional data from low-middle-income countries, where PTB rates are higher and prenatal exposure to metals are likely to be just as high, if not higher.
A novel method of quantifying hemodynamic delays to improve hemodynamic response, and CVR estimates in CO2 challenge fMRI

Elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) in breathing air is widely used as a vasoactive stimulus to assess cerebrovascular functions under hypercapnia (i.e., “stress test” for the brain). Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) is a contrast mechanism used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). BOLD is used to study CO2-induced cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), which is defined as the voxel-wise percentage BOLD signal change per mmHg change in the arterial partial pressure of CO2 (PaCO2). Besides the CVR, two additional important parameters reflecting the cerebrovascular functions are the arrival time of arterial CO2 at each voxel, and the waveform of the local BOLD signal. In this study, we developed a novel analytical method to accurately calculate the arrival time of elevated CO2 at each voxel using the systemic low frequency oscillations (sLFO: 0.01-0.1 Hz) extracted from the CO2 challenge data. In addition, 26 candidate hemodynamic response functions (HRF) were used to quantitatively describe the temporal brain reactions to a CO2 stimulus. We demonstrated that our approach improved the traditional method by allowing us to accurately map three perfusion-related parameters: the relative arrival time of blood, the hemodynamic response function, and CVR during a CO2 challenge.
Evidence-Based Exercise Recommendations to Improve Mental Wellbeing in Women with Breast Cancer during Active Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Simple Summary There is uncertainty whether the effects of different types of training (e.g., aerobic, strength, and/or combined) and intensity have different effects on mental health outcomes in women with breast cancer during active treatment. The results showed that exercise training led to a moderate improvement in quality of life by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Cancer (FACT-B) instrument and small improvements in mental wellbeing domains, such as anxiety, body image, depression, overall quality of life, and emotional function. Abstract Breast cancer was the most common cancer in women worldwide. The aims of the current systematic review and meta-analysis are: (i) to systematically examine the effects of exercise interventions on mental wellbeing; (ii) to examine the specific effect of the type of supervised exercise and its intensity, volume and frequency on mental wellbeing; and (iii) to explore which interventions are most effective in mental wellbeing among women with breast cancer during active treatment. An electronic literature search was performed using MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase (Ovid), and Web of Science, we identified 175 full-text articles. The 57 publications included data from 6988 participants, age ranging from 18 to 78 years (weighted mean: 50.85 years). Compared with the control conditions, exercise training programs were associated with significant reductions in anxiety (d = −0.22, I2 = 53.0%), depression (d = −0.24, I2 = 66.6%), and fatigue (d = −0.47, I2 = 69.8%), as well as increases in body image (d = 0.27, I2 = 69.2%) and quality of life (overall, d = 0.46, I2 = 71.6%; emotional function, d = 0.33, I2 = 65.7%; and FACT-B, d = 0.60, I2 = 76.2%). There were a variety of frequencies, intensities, and durations of supervised exercise programs reported in the included meta-analytic approach. In addition, we found that concomitant concurrent training, at moderate-to-vigorous intensity, and with a volume ≥50 min/week had benefits on a number of health outcomes, such as fatigue, depression, and quality of life measure by the FACT-B instrument. These findings have important implications for healthcare providers and multidisciplinary teams involved in mental health management in cancer patients during active treatment.
Physiological Age- and Sex-Related Profiles for Local (Aortic) and Regional (Carotid-Femoral, Carotid-Radial) Pulse Wave Velocity and Center-to-Periphery Stiffness Gradient, with and without Blood Pressure Adjustments: Reference Intervals and Agreement between Methods in Healthy Subjects (3–84 Years

In addition to being a marker of cardiovascular (CV) aging, aortic stiffening has been shown to be independently associated with increased CV risk (directly and/or indirectly due to stiffness-gradient attenuation). Arterial stiffness determines the rate at which the pulse pressure wave propagates (i.e., pulse wave velocity, PWV). Thus, propagated PWV (i.e., the distance between pressure-wave recording sites divided by the pulse transit time) was proposed as an arterial stiffness index. Presently, aortic PWV is considered a gold-standard for non-invasive stiffness evaluation. The limitations ascribed to PWV have hampered its use in clinical practice. To overcome the limitations, different approaches and parameters have been proposed (e.g., local PWV obtained by wave separation and pulse wave analysis). In turn, it has been proposed to determine PWV considering blood pressure (BP) levels (β-PWV), so as to evaluate intrinsic arterial stiffness. It is unknown whether the different approaches used to assess PWV or β-PWV are equivalent and there are few data regarding age- and sex-related reference intervals (RIs) for regional and local PWV, β-PWV and PWV ratio. Aims: (1) to evaluate agreement between data from different stiffness indexes, (2) to determine the need for sex-specific RIs, and (3) to define RIs for PWV, β-PWV and PWV ratio in a cohort of healthy children, adolescents and adults. Methods: 3619 subjects (3–90 y) were included, 1289 were healthy and non-exposed to CV risk factors. Carotid-femoral (cfPWV) and carotid-radial (crPWV) PWV were measured (SphygmoCor System (SCOR)) and PWV ratio (cfPWV/crPWV) was quantified. Local aortic PWV was obtained directly from carotid waves (aoPWV-Carotid; SCOR) and indirectly (generalized transfer function use) from radial (aoPWV-Radial; SCOR) and brachial (aoPWV-Brachial; Mobil-O-Graph system (MOG)) recordings. β-PWV was assessed by means of cardio-ankle brachial (CAVI) and BP-corrected CAVI (CAVIo) indexes. Analyses were done before and after adjustment for BP. Data agreement was analyzed (correlation, Bland-Altman). Mean and standard deviation (age- and sex-related) equations were obtained for PWV parameters (regression methods based on fractional polynomials). Results: The methods and parameters used to assess aortic stiffness showed different association levels. Stiffness data were not equivalent but showed systematic and proportional errors. The need for sex-specific RIs depended on the parameter and/or age considered. RIs were defined for all the studied parameters. The study provides the largest data set related to agreement and RIs for stiffness parameters obtained in a single population.
Microbiome distinctions between the CRC carcinogenic pathways

ABSTRACT Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer, the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and has been on the rise among young adults in the United States. Research has established that the colonic microbiome is different in patients with CRC compared to healthy controls, but few studies have investigated if and how the microbiome may relate to CRC progression through the serrated pathway versus the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. Our view is that progress in CRC microbiome research requires consideration of how the microbiome may contribute to CRC carcinogenesis through the distinct pathways that lead to CRC, which could enable the creation of novel and tailored prevention, screening, and therapeutic interventions. We first highlight the limitations in existing CRC microbiome research and offer corresponding solutions for investigating the microbiome’s role in the adenoma-carcinoma sequence and serrated pathway. We then summarize the findings in the select human studies that included data points related to the two major carcinogenic pathways. These studies investigate the microbiome in CRC carcinogenesis and 1) utilize mucosal samples and 2) compare polyps or tumors by histopathologic type, molecular/genetic type, or location in the colon. Key findings from these studies include: 1) Fusobacterium is associated with right-sided, more advanced, and serrated lesions; 2) the colons of people with CRC have bacteria typically associated with normal oral flora; and 3) colons from people with CRC have more biofilms, and these biofilms are predominantly located in the proximal colon (single study).
Circulating microRNAs as Potential Novel Diagnostic Biomarkers to Predict Drug Resistance in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: A Pilot Study

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that have emerged as new potential epigenetic biomarkers. Here, we evaluate the efficacy of six circulating miRNA previously described in the literature as biomarkers for the diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and/or as predictive biomarkers to antiepileptic drug response. We measured the differences in serum miRNA levels by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays in a cohort of 27 patients (14 women and 13 men; mean ± SD age: 43.65 ± 17.07) with TLE compared to 20 healthy controls (HC) matched for sex, age and ethnicity (11 women and 9 men; mean ± SD age: 47.5 ± 9.1). Additionally, patients were classified according to whether they had drug-responsive (n = 17) or drug-resistant (n = 10) TLE. We have investigated any correlations between miRNAs and several electroclinical parameters. Three miRNAs (miR-142, miR-146a, miR-223) were significantly upregulated in patients (expressed as average expression ± SD). In detail, miR-142 expression was 0.40 ± 0.29 vs. 0.16 ± 0.10 in TLE patients compared to HC (t-test, p < 0.01), miR-146a expression was 0.15 ± 0.11 vs. 0.07 ± 0.04 (t-test, p < 0.05), and miR-223 expression was 6.21 ± 3.65 vs. 1.23 ± 0.84 (t-test, p < 0.001). Moreover, results obtained from a logistic regression model showed the good performance of miR-142 and miR-223 in distinguishing drug-sensitive vs. drug-resistant TLE. The results of this pilot study give evidence that miRNAs are suitable targets in TLE and offer the rationale for further confirmation studies in larger epilepsy cohorts.
Room Temperature Ionic Liquids in Asymmetric Hetero-Ene Type Reactions: Improving Organocatalyst Performance at Lower Temperatures

Room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) have been widely used as (co)solvents in several catalytic processes modifying, in most of the cases, the catalyst activity and/or the selectivity for the studied reactions. However, there are just a few examples of their use in hydrogen bonding organocatalysis. In this paper, we show the positive effect of a set of imidazole-based ionic liquids ([bmim]BF4 and [hmim]PF6) in the enantioselective addition of formaldehyde tert-butylhydrazone to prochiral α-keto esters catalyzed by a sugar-based chiral thiourea. Reactions performed in the presence of low percentages of RTILs led to an increase of the catalyst activity, thereby making possible to work at lower temperatures. Thus, the chiral tert-butyl azomethyl tertiary alcohols could be obtained with moderate to good conversions and higher enantioselectivities for most of the studied substrates when using up to 30 vol% of [hmim]PF6 as a cosolvent in processes performed in toluene.
Melatonin as an Antitumor Agent against Liver Cancer: An Updated Systematic Review

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is an indoleamine with antioxidant, chronobiotic and anti-inflammatory properties; reduced levels of this hormone are associated with higher risk of cancer. Several beneficial effects of melatonin have been described in a broad number of tumors, including liver cancers. In this work we systematically reviewed the publications of the last 15 years that assessed the underlying mechanisms of melatonin activities against liver cancers, and its role as coadjuvant in the treatment of these tumors. Literature research was performed employing PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) databases and, after screening, 51 articles were included. Results from the selected studies denoted the useful actions of melatonin in preventing carcinogenesis and as a promising treatment option for the primary liver tumors hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), either alone or in combination with other compounds. Different processes were modulated by the indole, such as inhibition of oxidative stress, proliferation, angiogenesis and invasion, promotion of immune system response, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, as well as recovery of circadian rhythms and autophagy modulation. Taken together, the present systematic review highlights the evidence that document the potential role of melatonin in improving the landscape of liver tumor treatment.