Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of a behavioural approach on lifestyle habits in a healthy Italian population: a before-after interventional study.

BACKGROUND The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an educational intervention promoting adherence to healthy diet and physical activity. STUDY DESIGN Before-after interventional study. METHODS Participants were healthy volunteers, 18-70 y old, from Bologna. They followed a training course consisting of seven meetings and signed a contract to comply with the promoted habits, verified through questionnaires at the engagement phase (T0), three months later (T1) and one year later (T2). RESULT One hundred, fifty-three subjects were involved, 75.8% were evaluated at T1 and 41.2% at T2. More than 80% of the subjects involved at T1 achieved an improvement of planned goals. Moreover, 77% of T1 compliants retained healthy eating and physical activity at T2. CONCLUSION The proposed pathway of empowerment positively affected nutrition and promotion of physical activity at 3 months after the intervention (T1) and were maintained even after a year. The results appear to be promising for primary prevention across the spectrum of a healthy lifestyle educational approach.
Effect of Cellular and ECM Aging on Human iPSC-derived Cardiomyocyte Performance, Maturity and Senescence

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide and their occurrence is highly associated with age. However, lack of knowledge in cardiac tissue aging is a major roadblock in devising novel therapies. Here, we studied the effects of cell and cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) aging on the induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocyte cell state, function, as well as response to myocardial infarction (MI)-mimicking stress conditions in vitro. Within 3-weeks, young ECM promoted proliferation and drug responsiveness in young cells, and induced cell cycle re-entry, and protection against stress in the aged cells. Adult ECM improved cardiac function, while aged ECM accelerated the aging phenotype, and impaired cardiac function and stress defense machinery of the cells. In summary, we have gained a comprehensive understanding of cardiac aging and highlighted the importance of cell-ECM interactions. This study is the first to investigate the individual effects of cellular and environmental aging and identify the biochemical changes that occur upon cardiac aging.
Host miRNA-21 promotes liver dysfunction by targeting small intestinal Lactobacillus in mice

ABSTRACT New evidence shows that host-microbiota crosstalk can be modulated via endogenous miRNAs. We have previously reported that miR-21 ablation protects against liver injury in cholestasis. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-21 in modulating the gut microbiota during cholestasis and its effects in liver dysfunction. Mice lacking miR-21 had reduced liver damage and were protected against small intestinal injury as well as from gut microbiota dysbiosis when subjected to bile duct ligation surgery. The unique microbiota profile of miR-21KO mice was characterized by an increase in Lactobacillus, a key microbiome genus for gut homeostasis. Interestingly, in vitro incubation of synthetic miR-21 directly reduced Lactobacillus load. Moreover, supplementation with Lactobacillus reuteri revealed reduced liver fibrosis in acute bile duct-ligated mice, mimicking the protective effects in miR-21 knockout mice. D-lactate, a main product of Lactobacillus, regulates gut homeostasis that may link with reduced liver fibrosis. Altogether, our results demonstrate that miR-21 promotes liver dysfunction through direct modulation of the gut microbiota and highlight the potential therapeutic effects of Lactobacillus supplementation in gut and liver homeostasis.
Validation and clinical performance of a combined nuclear‐mitochondrial next‐generation sequencing and copy number variant analysis panel in a Canadian population

Diagnosing mitochondrial disorders is a challenge due to the heterogeneous clinical presentation and large number of associated genes. A custom next generation sequencing (NGS) panel was developed incorporating the full mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) plus 19 nuclear genes involved in structural mitochondrial defects and mtDNA maintenance. This assay is capable of simultaneously detecting small gene sequence variations and larger copy number variants (CNVs) in both the nuclear and mitochondrial components along with heteroplasmy detection down to 5%. We describe technical validations of this panel and its implementation for clinical testing in a Canadian reference laboratory, and report its clinical performance in the initial 950 patients tested. Using this assay, we demonstrate a diagnostic yield of 18.1% of patients with known pathogenic variants. In addition to the common 5 kb mtDNA deletion, we describe significant contribution of pathogenic CNVs in both the mitochondrial genome and nuclear genes in this patient population.
BMP2 induces hMSC osteogenesis and matrix remodeling

With increasing age, the microenvironment in the bone marrow is altered, leading to a decrease in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) differentiation, which reduces the number of bone cells and weakens osteogenic capacity, resulting in osteoporosis (OP). The clinical manifestations of OP include bone loss, bone microstructural destruction and altered bone quality. Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) serves an important role in inducing the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Regulating the bone marrow matrix microenvironment and promoting osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs is of significance for both the prevention and treatment of OP. In the present study, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) high-throughput proteomics technology was combined with bioinformatics analysis to screen 249 differentially expressed proteins in human MSCs overexpressing BMP2, of which 173 were upregulated and 76 proteins were downregulated. The proteins were also involved in signaling pathways associated with extracellular matrix organization, osteoblast differentiation, ossification, bone development, chondrocyte differentiation and bone morphogenesis. By carefully screening the proteins, N-cadherin (CDH2), a protein with osteogenic differentiation potential, was verified by perturbations in the background of BMP2 overexpression. The role of CDH3 in the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs was confirmed by the regulation of several cognate osteogenic markers, suggesting CDH2 as a promising candidate in the field of osteogenesis.
Traditional 3- to 5-Minute Interset Rest Periods May Not Be Necessary When Performing Fewer Repetitions Per Set: Using Clean Pulls as an Example

Abstract Jukic, I and Tufano, JJ. Traditional 3- to 5-minute interset rest periods may not be necessary when performing fewer repetitions per set: Using clean pulls as an example. J Strength Cond Res 36(11): 3015–3022, 2022—Three to 5 minutes of interset rest is often recommended for power-based exercises, but those recommendations are largely based on performing many repetitions per set, which can induce fatigue and require such lengthy rest periods. If the number of repetitions per set is reduced before fatigue ensues, interset rest periods may also be reduced without sacrificing performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of this notion on barbell velocity and power output over multiple sets of clean pulls using different loads in strength-trained men. Fifteen strength-trained men performed 3 extended sets of 6 clean pulls using 80% (EXT80), 100% (EXT100), and 120% (EXT120) of power clean 1 repetition maximum with 180 seconds of interset rest and 9 short sets of 2 using 80% (SHT80), 100% (SHT100), and 120% (SHT120) with 45 seconds of interset rest. Peak velocity was greater during short set protocol than extended set protocol (80%: 1.74 ± 0.16 vs. 1.68 ± 0.15 m/s; 100%: 1.47 ± 0.15 vs. 1.41 ± 0.12 m/s; 120%: 1.21 ± 0.13 vs. 1.16 ± 0.15 m/s; p < 0.05). Furthermore, peak power was greater during SHT100 (1874.6 ± 267.5 vs. 1732.3 ± 250.4 W; p < 0.05) and SHT120 (1777.8 ± 226.1 vs. 1,650.4 ± 249.1 W; p < 0.05) than EXT100 and EXT120, respectively. Therefore, reducing the number of repetitions per set may allow for interset rest periods to also be reduced while better maintaining performance. However, the extent to which rest periods can be shortened warrants further investigation as total rest time was equal in this study.
HLA-Cw6 and other HLA-C alleles, as well as MICB-DT, DDX58, and TYK2 genetic variants associate with optimal response to anti-IL-17A treatment in patients with psoriasis

ABSTRACT Objective: Our pharmacogenomic study evaluated the influence of the presence/absence of genetic variants of psoriasis-risk loci on the clinical response to secukinumab. Differences in the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) pattern characterizing HLA-Cw6+ or HLA-Cw6− patient subpopulations, showing high or low responses to secukinumab, were also analyzed. Methods: 417 SNPs were analyzed by Next-Generation Sequencing technology, in a cohort of 62 psoriatic patients and undergone secukinumab treatment. Univariate regression analysis was employed to examine the association between SNP and clinical response to secukinumab. Multivariate analysis was also performed to assess multivariate differences in SNP pattern of HLA-Cw6+ or HLA-Cw6− patients showing high or low responses to secukinumab. Results: Eight SNPs in HLA-C and upstream region (rs13207315, rs6900444, rs12189871, rs12191877, rs4406273, and rs10484554), including HLA-Cw6 classical allele (rs1131118), and three in MICB-DT (rs9267325), DDX58 (rs34085293) and TYK2 (rs2304255) genes, associating with excellent response to secukinumab were identified. Importantly, rs34085293 or rs2304255 SNP status defined a subgroup of super-responder patients. We also found that HLA-Cw6+ and HLA-Cw6− patients carried out specific patterns of SNPs associating with different responses to secukinumab. Conclusion: Assessment of HLA-Cw6, together with other allelic variants of genes, could be helpful to define patients which better benefit from anti-IL-17 therapy. Abbreviations: PASI: Psoriasis Area and Severity Index; SNP: Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism Rs: Reference SNP; PASI75: 75% reduction in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index; PASI90: 90% reduction in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index; PASI100: 100% reduction in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index; NGS: Next-Generation Sequencing; OR: Odds Ratio; CAP: Canonical Analysis of Principal coordinates; BMI: Body Mass Index; LD: Linkage Disequilibrium
Comparison of design, metallurgy, mechanical performance and shaping ability of replica-like and counterfeit instruments of the ProTaper Next system.

AIM To compare the ProTaper Next (PTN) system with a replica-like and a counterfeit system regarding design, metallurgy, mechanical performance and shaping ability. METHODOLOGY Replica-like (X-File) and counterfeit (PTN-CF) instruments were compared to the PTN system regarding design (microscopy), phase transformation temperatures (differential scanning calorimetry), nickel-titanium ratio (energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), cyclic fatigue, torsional and bending strength, and untouched canal areas in extracted mandibular molars (micro-CT). ANOVA post hoc Tukey and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used according to normality assessment (Shapiro-Wilk test) with significance level set at 5%. RESULTS Overall similarities in design and nickel-titanium (Ni/Ti) ratio were observed among instruments with the X-File having a smoother surface finish. PTN and PTN-CF had mixed austenite plus R-phase (R-phase start approximately at 45 ºC and near 30 ºC, respectively), while X-File instruments were austenitic (R-phase started at approximately at 17 ºC) at room temperature (20 ºC). PTN-CF had the highest inconsistency in the phase transformation temperatures. Time to fracture of PTN-CF X2 and X3 was lower than PTN and X-File instruments (P <0.05), while no difference was noted in maximum torque to fracture amongst the tested systems (P >0.05). X-Files and PTN-CF had a stress-induced phase change during bending load. Mean unprepared surface areas of root canals were 25.8% (PTN), 31.1% (X-File) and 32.5% (PTN-CF) with no significant difference among groups (P >0.05). CONCLUSION Similarities amongst the systems were noted in the Ni/Ti ratio and maximum torque to fracture, while differences were observed in the design, phase transformation temperatures and mechanical behaviour. The ProTaper Next counterfeit instruments could be considered as the less secure system considering its low cyclic fatigue resistance. Apart from these differences, the unprepared canal surface areas, obtained with the tested systems, was similar.
Titanium isotopes constrain a magmatic transition at the Hadean-Archean boundary in the Acasta Gneiss Complex

Titanium isotopes reveal a shift toward convergent arc magmatism in some of Earth’s oldest known rocks. Plate subduction greatly influences the physical and chemical characteristics of Earth’s surface and deep interior, yet the timing of its initiation is debated because of the paucity of exposed rocks from Earth’s early history. We show that the titanium isotopic composition of orthogneisses from the Acasta Gneiss Complex spanning the Hadean to Eoarchean transition falls on two distinct magmatic differentiation trends. Hadean tonalitic gneisses show titanium isotopic compositions comparable to modern evolved tholeiitic magmas, formed by differentiation of dry parental magmas in plume settings. Younger Eoarchean granitoid gneisses have titanium isotopic compositions comparable to modern calc-alkaline magmas produced in convergent arcs. Our data therefore document a shift from tholeiitic- to calc-alkaline–style magmatism between 4.02 and 3.75 billion years (Ga) in the Slave craton.
Monomer Selection for In Situ Polymerization Infusion Manufacture of Natural-Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic-Matrix Marine Composites

Awareness of environmental issues has led to increasing interest from composite researchers in using “greener” materials to replace synthetic fiber reinforcements and petrochemical polymer matrices. Natural fiber bio-based thermoplastic composites could be an appropriate choice with advantages including reducing environmental impacts, using renewable resources and being recyclable. The choice of polymer matrix will significantly affect the cost, manufacturing process, mechanical properties and durability of the composite system. The criteria for appropriate monomers are based on the processing temperature and viscosity, polymer mechanical properties, recyclability, etc. This review considers the selection of thermoplastic monomers suitable for in situ polymerization during resin, now monomer, infusion under flexible tooling (RIFT, now MIFT), with a primary focus on marine composite applications. Given the systems currently available, methyl methacrylate (MMA) may be the most suitable monomer, especially for marine composites. MMA has low process temperatures, a long open window for infusion, and low moisture absorption. However, end-of-life recovery may be limited to matrix depolymerization. Bio-based MMA is likely to become commercially available in a few years. Polylactide (PLA) is an alternative infusible monomer, but the relatively high processing temperature may require expensive consumable materials and could compromise natural fiber properties.
Evaluation of biocompatibility and osseointegration of Nb–xTi–Zr alloys for use as dental implant materials

The aim of this study was to evaluate the biocompatibility and osteogenic potential of 50%Nb–xTi–Zr (NTZ, x = 20%, 30%, 40% by weight) alloys as compared with dental commercial pure titanium (cpTi). Cell cytotoxicity assay, fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy were used to measure the in vitro biocompatibility of NTZ. The expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), integrin β1, osteocalcin (OC), Ki67 and collagen-I (Col-I) at the mRNA level was measured by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Osseointegration ability was determined using x-ray evaluation and histological analysis in vivo. Compared with the MG63 cells grown on cpTi on day 3, the viability, adherence and proliferation rates of cells cultured on NTZ alloys were significantly improved (p < 0.05). Furthermore, similar expression levels of Ki67, Col-I, OC and ALP were found in the MG63 cells grown on NTZ alloys and those grown on cpTi. The Cbfα1 level was significantly higher for the 50%Nb–30%Ti–Zr (NTZ3) than for the cpTi group on day 6 (p < 0.01), indicating that NTZ alloys can induce osteogenesis. A considerable amount of new bone formation and osseointegration was observed around NTZ3 implants compared with cpTi implants in vivo. Collectively, NTZ3 showed superior biocompatibility and osteogenic activity; therefore, NTZ3 may be an excellent replacement for dental Ti implants.
Effect of clear aligner wear protocol on the efficacy of tooth movement.

OBJECTIVES To compare the efficacy of orthodontic tooth movement with three aligner wear protocols: 7 day, 10 day, and 14 day. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighty patients were randomly allocated into three groups: group A (7-day changes), group B (10-day changes), and group C (14-day changes). The posttreatment scans were compared with the final virtual treatment simulations through digital superimposition. The differences between predicted and actual achieved treatment outcomes were computed in six angular and six linear dimensions. Differences >0.5 mm for linear measurements and >2° for angular measurements were considered clinically relevant. RESULTS Within groups, and irrespective of wear protocol, all linear discrepancies in both jaws were deemed clinically insignificant (<0.5 mm) while nearly all angular discrepancies were considered clinically significant (>2.0°). When the three groups were compared, group C (14-day changes) showed significantly greater accuracy in the posterior segment for maxillary intrusion, distal-crown tip and buccal-crown torque, and mandibular intrusion and extrusion. The mean treatment duration in the 7-day aligner change group was nearly half that of the 14-day aligner change group (5 months vs 9 months). CONCLUSIONS Fourteen-day changes were statistically significantly more accurate in some posterior movements. However, this difference in accuracy did not exceed the threshold for clinical significance (>0.5 mm/>2.0°). Achieving a clinically similar accuracy between the 7-day protocol and 14-day protocol in half the treatment time suggests a 7-day protocol as an acceptable treatment protocol. Clinicians may consider slowing down to a 14-day protocol if challenging posterior movements are desired.
County-Level Social Distancing and Policy Impact in the United States: A Dynamical Systems Model

Background Social distancing and public policy have been crucial for minimizing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States. Publicly available, county-level time series data on mobility are derived from individual devices with global positioning systems, providing a variety of indices of social distancing behavior per day. Such indices allow a fine-grained approach to modeling public behavior during the pandemic. Previous studies of social distancing and policy have not accounted for the occurrence of pre-policy social distancing and other dynamics reflected in the long-term trajectories of public mobility data. Objective We propose a differential equation state-space model of county-level social distancing that accounts for distancing behavior leading up to the first official policies, equilibrium dynamics reflected in the long-term trajectories of mobility, and the specific impacts of four kinds of policy. The model is fit to each US county individually, producing a nationwide data set of novel estimated mobility indices. Methods A differential equation model was fit to three indicators of mobility for each of 3054 counties, with T=100 occasions per county of the following: distance traveled, visitations to key sites, and the log number of interpersonal encounters. The indicators were highly correlated and assumed to share common underlying latent trajectory, dynamics, and responses to policy. Maximum likelihood estimation with the Kalman-Bucy filter was used to estimate the model parameters. Bivariate distributional plots and descriptive statistics were used to examine the resulting county-level parameter estimates. The association of chronology with policy impact was also considered. Results Mobility dynamics show moderate correlations with two census covariates: population density (Spearman r ranging from 0.11 to 0.31) and median household income (Spearman r ranging from –0.03 to 0.39). Stay-at-home order effects were negatively correlated with both (r=–0.37 and r=–0.38, respectively), while the effects of the ban on all gatherings were positively correlated with both (r=0.51, r=0.39). Chronological ordering of policies was a moderate to strong determinant of their effect per county (Spearman r ranging from –0.12 to –0.56), with earlier policies accounting for most of the change in mobility, and later policies having little or no additional effect. Conclusions Chronological ordering, population density, and median household income were all associated with policy impact. The stay-at-home order and the ban on gatherings had the largest impacts on mobility on average. The model is implemented in a graphical online app for exploring county-level statistics and running counterfactual simulations. Future studies can incorporate the model-derived indices of social distancing and policy impacts as important social determinants of COVID-19 health outcomes.
Executive functions in agenesis of the corpus callosum: Working memory and sustained attention in the BTBR inbred mouse strain

Agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC) is characterized by the congenital partial or complete absence of the corpus callosum. Several strains of mice have been reported to carry AgCC, with the BTBR T+Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) inbred mouse strain consistently showing a complete absence of the corpus callosum, as well as a variable reduction in the size of the hippocampal commissure. While much research has focused on the social deficits of the BTBR strain, little research on its cognitive behavior has been conducted. The goal of our study was to compare two facets of executive functioning, spatial working memory, and sustained attention between the BTBR and C57BL/6J (B6) strains.
The Shear Stress Determination in Tubular Specimens under Torsion in the Elastic–Plastic Strain Range from the Perspective of Fatigue Analysis

The comparison of shear stress determination methods in tubular specimens under torsion is presented in this paper. Four methods were analyzed: purely elastic solutions, purely plastic solutions, the midsection approach, and the Chaboche nonlinear kinematic hardening model. Using experimental data from self-designed and conducted fatigue experiments, an interesting insight on this problem was obtained that is not often tackled in the literature. It was shown that there are differences in determined shear stress values, and their level depends on a few factors. The midsection approach and purely plastic solution gave values of surface shear stress very close to the values obtained using the Chaboche nonlinear kinematic hardening model for high strain levels. The purely elastic solution gave proper results for the low strain ranges, close to the cyclic yield limit. Since none of the methods can be trusted in the full range of loading, an important conclusion from these analyses regards the formulated ranges of their applicability. It was also shown that the calculated values of shear stress and plastic and elastic strain energy density determined on this basis have a strong impact on fatigue life predictions. Finally, the influence of predicted values of shear stresses on the interpretation of cyclic hardening phenomena was also presented.