Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimating the Combined Effects of Natural and Built Environmental Exposures on Birthweight among Urban Residents in Massachusetts

Intrauterine growth has health implications both in childhood and adulthood. Birthweight is partially determined by prenatal environmental exposures. We aim to identify important predictors of birthweight out of a set of environmental, built environment exposures, and socioeconomic environment variables during pregnancy (i.e., fine particulate matter (PM2.5), temperature, greenness, walkability, noise, and economic indices). We included all singleton live births of mothers who resided in urban census block-groups and delivered in Massachusetts between 2001 and 2011 (n = 640,659). We used an elastic-net model to select important predictors of birthweight and constructed a multivariate model including the selected predictors, with adjustment for confounders. We additionally used a weighted quantile sum regression to assess the contribution of each exposure to differences in birthweight. All exposures were selected as important predictors of birthweight. In the multivariate model, lower birthweight was significantly associated with lower greenness and with higher temperature, walkability, noise, and segregation of the “high income” group. Treating the exposures individually, nighttime noise had the highest weight in its contribution to lower birthweight. In conclusion, after accounting for individual confounders, maternal environmental exposures, built environment exposures, and socioeconomic environment during pregnancy were important predictors of birthweight, emphasizing the role of these exposures in fetal growth and development.
Evaluating Fertilizer Use Efficiency and Spatial Correlation of Its Determinants in China: A Geographically Weighted Regression Approach

Improving fertilizer use efficiency (FUE) is an effective means to reduce fertilizer use and environmental contamination. Few studies have considered the spatial effects of FUE and its determinants. This paper calculated the FUE of agricultural production by adopting panel data on 31 provinces in China from 2007 to 2017 using a stochastic frontier method with a heteroscedastic inefficiency term, and discussed the spatial characteristics. Further, the geographical weighted regression model (GWR) was employed to examine the spatial impact of factors on FUE and revealed the spatial dispersion and agglomeration effect. The results show that averaged FUE in China was 0.722, and had a significantly decreasing trend with a significant regional difference and spatial positive correlation in different provinces. The non-agricultural employment ratio was the leading factor for increasing FUE, and its degree of influence showed a decreasing trend from eastern to western China. The different agricultural industry development modes, crop planting patterns adjustment, labor transfer, and policy incentive systems for increasing the non-agricultural employment ratio should be developed for different regions. Farmers’ income had a negative impact on FUE, but the influence degree decreased annually. Education level had a negative impact on FUE and was relatively weak, but the influence degree was increasing. This should strengthen the exploration of a scientific and practical technical training system for farmers on fertilizer use while improving educational levels in different regions on the basis of local characteristics. The impact of disasters on FUE depended on their severity, and a combined weather and disaster forecasting mechanism should be developed.
Behavioural and Emotional Changes during COVID-19 Lockdown in an Italian Paediatric Population with Neurologic and Psychiatric Disorders

On 11 March 2020, a national lockdown was imposed by the Italian government to contain the spread of COVID19 disease. This is an observational longitudinal study conducted at Fondazione Stella Maris (FSM), Italy to investigate lockdown-related emotional and behavioural changes in paediatric neuropsychiatric population. Families having children (1.5–18 years) with neuropsychiatric disorders referred to FSM have been contacted and proposed to fulfil two online questionnaires (General questionnaire and Child Behaviour Check List (CBCL)) to (i) compare (paired two-sample t-tests) the CBCL scores during lockdown with previous ones, and (ii) investigate the influence (multiple linear regression models) of variables such as age, diagnosis grouping (neurological, neurodevelopmental, emotional, and behavioural disorders) and financial hardship. One hundred and forty-one parents fulfilled the questionnaires. Anxiety and somatic problems increased in 1.5–5 years subpopulation, while obsessive-compulsive, post-traumatic and thought problems increased in 6–18 years subpopulation. In the regression models, younger age in the 1.5–5 years subpopulation resulted as “protective” while financial hardship experienced by families during lockdown was related to psychiatric symptoms increasing in the 6–18 years subpopulation. Some considerations, based on first clinical impressions, are provided in text together with comments in relation to previous and emerging literature on the topic.
Synthetic mansfieldite, AlAsO4·2H2O

Hydro­thermally prepared mansfieldite, AlAsO4·2H2O (aluminium arsenate dihydrate), contains a vertex-sharing three-dimensional network of cis-AlO4(H2O)2 octahedra and AsO4 tetrahedra [dav(Al—O) = 1.907 (2) A, dav(As—O) = 1.685 (2) A and θav(Al—O—As) = 134.5 (1)°].
Role of Regular Physical Activity in Neuroprotection against Acute Ischemia

One of the major obstacles that prevents an effective therapeutic intervention against ischemic stroke is the lack of neuroprotective agents able to reduce neuronal damage; this results in frequent evolution towards a long-term disability with limited alternatives available to aid in recovery. Nevertheless, various treatment options have shown clinical efficacy. Neurotrophins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), widely produced throughout the brain, but also in distant tissues such as the muscle, have demonstrated regenerative properties with the potential to restore damaged neural tissue. Neurotrophins play a significant role in both protection and recovery of function following neurological diseases such as ischemic stroke or traumatic brain injury. Unfortunately, the efficacy of exogenous administration of these neurotrophins is limited by rapid degradation with subsequent poor half-life and a lack of blood–brain-barrier permeability. Regular exercise seems to be a therapeutic approach able to induce the activation of several pathways related to the neurotrophins release. Exercise, furthermore, reduces the infarct volume in the ischemic brain and ameliorates motor function in animal models increasing astrocyte proliferation, inducing angiogenesis and reducing neuronal apoptosis and oxidative stress. One of the most critical issues is to identify the relationship between neurotrophins and myokines, newly discovered skeletal muscle-derived factors released during and after exercise able to exert several biological functions. Various myokines (e.g., Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1, Irisin) have recently shown their ability to protects against neuronal injury in cerebral ischemia models, suggesting that these substances may influence the degree of neuronal damage in part via inhibiting inflammatory signaling pathways. The aim of this narrative review is to examine the main experimental data available to date on the neuroprotective and anti-ischemic role of regular exercise, analyzing also the possible role played by neurotrophins and myokines.
Do we agree on who is playing the ball? Developing a video-based measurement for Shared Mental Models in tennis doubles

Sport teams work in complex environments in which each member’s tasks are mutually dependent on those of the others. To function effectively, expert teams generate Shared Mental Models (SMMs) to help adapt their own behavior to that of the others and master upcoming actions. Although SMMs have been discussed in domains such as organizations, there is still little research in the context of sport. One reason for this is that measurement methods have failed to incorporate the dynamic nature of the sport context. This study reports on the development of a video-based measurement of SMMs in tennis doubles. It examined the quality criteria first in a pilot and then in a main study. The final video-based measurement consists of 35 tennis doubles video clips requiring decisions on ball-taking behavior in two conditions (Self and Partner). In the condition Self, participants reported their own responses; in the condition Partner, those of their partner. The main study analyzed 29 male tennis teams with a mean age of 34.57 years (SD = 12.25) and a mean of 22.79 years (SD = 10.49) tennis experience. SMMs were analyzed for each partner as the inter-player agreement (Self–Partner) and averaged for each team. After completing the video-based measurement, participants filled out questionnaires on SMMs, team trust, and demographics. Results indicated that not only the split-half reliability (r = .49), the content validity (ηp2 = .23), the inter-player agreement (r = .63), and the inter-player agreement and accuracy (r = .61), but also the feasibility of the measurement were good. However, no relationships to the proposed convergent or criterial validity measures were found. In sum, measuring SMMs with a video-based test is possible and a promising method. No relationship to the frequently used questionnaires was found, suggesting that the two target different parts of SMMs. Future research should carefully examine and choose the appropriate measurement.
Amphotericin B and Other Polyenes—Discovery, Clinical Use, Mode of Action and Drug Resistance

Although polyenes were the first broad spectrum antifungal drugs on the market, after 70 years they are still the gold standard to treat a variety of fungal infections. Polyenes such as amphotericin B have a controversial image. They are the antifungal drug class with the broadest spectrum, resistance development is still relatively rare and fungicidal properties are extensive. Yet, they come with a significant host toxicity that limits their use. Relatively recently, the mode of action of polyenes has been revised, new mechanisms of drug resistance were discovered and emergent polyene resistant species such as Candida auris entered the picture. This review provides a short description of the history and clinical use of polyenes, and focusses on the ongoing debate concerning their mode of action, the diversity of resistance mechanisms discovered to date and the most recent trends in polyene resistance development.
Effect of the Verbal Encouragement on Psychophysiological and Affective Responses during Small-Sided Games

Verbal encouragement (VE) is considered as external motivation provided by physical education teacher. For this reason, this study aimed to examine the effects of VE on psychophysiological and affective responses during small-sided games (SSG). Sixteen male school students (age: 17.37 ± 0.48 years) completed four sessions of a 4-a-side SSG. Two sessions occurred with VE (SSGE), and two sessions did not include VE (SSGNE). Heart rate was continuously recorded, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and blood lactate concentration ([La]b) were measured after each training session. Physical enjoyment was assessed after each protocol. Mood state was recorded before and after each training session using the profile of mood-state. HR max, [La]b, RPE, Physical enjoyment, and vigor were higher in SSGE compared to SSGNE (all, p < 0.001). The SSGE and SSGNE resulted in a decreased total mood disturbance (TMD) (p = 0.001, ES = 0.60; p = 0.04, ES = 0.33, respectively) and tension (p < 0.001, ES = 0.91; p = 0.004, ES = 0.47, respectively), and the vigor was increased after the SSGE (p < 0.001, ES = 0.76). SSGE and SSGNE induce similar improvement in TMD and tension. However, SSGE induced higher physiological responses, RPE, enjoyment, and positive mood than SSGNE. Physical education teachers could use VE during specific soccer sessions to improve physical aspects, enjoyment, and mood in participants.
Effect of cell-nanostructured substrate interactions on the capture efficiency of HeLa cells

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are regarded as an effective biomarker for cancer detection, diagnosis and prognosis monitoring. CTCs capture based on nanostructured substrates is a powerful technique. Some specific adhesion molecule antibody coated on the surface of nanostructured substrates, such as EpCAM, is commonly used to enhance the CTCs capture efficiency. Substrate nanotopographies regulate the interaction between the substrates and captured cells, further influencing cell capture efficiency. However, the relationship between cell capture efficiency and cell–substrate interaction remains poorly understood. Here, we explored the relationship between cell capture efficiency and cell–substrate interaction based on two sets of nanostructures with different nanotopographies without antibody conjugation. Given the urgent demand for improving the capture efficiency of EpCAM-negative cells, we used HeLa (EpCAM-negative) cells as the main targets. We demonstrated that HeLa cells could be more effectively captured by two nanostructural substrates, especially by double-layer composite nanoforests. Therefore, the morphological and migrating interaction between HeLa cells and distinct substrates was associated with cell capture efficiency. Our findings demonstrated the potential mechanism for optimizing the nanotopography for higher capture efficiency, and provide a potential foundation for cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment.
Exosomes derived from BDNF-expressing 293T attenuate ischemic retinal injury in vitro and in vivo.

Retinal ischemia emerges in many ocular diseases and is a leading cause of neuronal death and dysfunction, resulting in irreversible visual impairment. We previously reported that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-expressing human 293T cells could steadily express BDNF and play a protective role in ARPE-19 cells, a human retinal epithelial cell line. Thus, we hypothesized that exosomes might be essential in the interaction between BDNF-expressing 293T cells and recipient cells. The study investigated whether exosomes derived from BDNF-expressing 293T cells (293T-Exo) can be internalized by ischemic retinal cells and exert neuroprotective roles. The results demonstrated that 293T-Exo significantly attenuated the loss of cell proliferation and cell death in R28 cells in response to oxygen-glucose deprivation treatment. Mechanistic studies revealed that the endocytosis of 293T-Exo by R28 cells displayed dose- and temperature-dependent patterns and may be mediated by the caveolar endocytic pathway via the integrin receptor. In the retinal ischemia rat model, the administration of 293T-Exo into the vitreous humor of ischemic eyes reduced apoptosis in the retina. Furthermore, 293T-Exo was mainly taken up by retinal neurons and retinal ganglion cells. Together, the results demonstrated that 293T-Exo has a neuroprotective effect in retinal ischemia and has therapeutic potential for retinal disorders.
Influence of Triazole Pesticides on Wine Flavor and Quality Based on Multidimensional Analysis Technology

Triazole pesticides are widely used to control grapevine diseases. In this study, we investigated the impact of three triazole pesticides—triadimefon, tebuconazole, and paclobutrazol—on the concentrations of wine aroma compounds. All three triazole pesticides significantly affected the ester and acid aroma components. Among them, paclobutrazol exhibited the greatest negative influence on the wine aroma quality through its effect on the ester and acid aroma substances, followed by tebuconazole and triadimefon. Qualitative and quantitative analysis by solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry revealed that the triazole pesticides also changed the flower and fruit flavor component contents of the wines. This was attributed to changes in the yeast fermentation activity caused by the pesticide residues. The study reveals that triazole pesticides negatively impact on the volatile composition of wines with a potential undesirable effect on wine quality, underlining the desirability of stricter control by the food industry over pesticide residues in winemaking.
Nanostructured Polymeric, Liposomal and Other Materials to Control the Drug Delivery for Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year, representing one third of global mortality. As existing therapies still have limited success, due to the inability to control the biodistribution of the currently approved drugs, the quality of life of these patients is modest. The advent of nanomedicine has brought new insights in innovative treatment strategies. For this reason, several novel nanotechnologies have been developed for both targeted and prolonged delivery of therapeutics to the cardiovascular system tο minimize side effects. In this regard, nanoparticles made of natural and/or synthetic nanomaterials, like liposomes, polymers or inorganic materials, are emerging alternatives for the encapsulation of already approved drugs to control their delivery in a targeted way. Therefore, nanomedicine has attracted the attention of the scientific community as a potential platform to deliver therapeutics to the injured heart. In this review, we discuss the current types of biomaterials that have been investigated as potential therapeutic interventions for CVDs as they open up a host of possibilities for more targeted and effective therapies, as well as minimally invasive treatments.
Comparing the Measurement Properties and Preferability of Patient-reported Outcome Measures in Pediatric Rheumatology: PROMIS vs CHAQ

Objective. The Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ), though widely used for assessments in pediatric rheumatology, has drawbacks, including low correlation to disease activity and ceiling effects. We sought to determine if any tools from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) improve on these shortcomings and/or are preferred by patients. Methods. Patients 5–17 years of age with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) or juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) were recruited from the rheumatology clinics at a Canadian children’s hospital. Participants completed the CHAQ, 3 PROMIS measures (pain interference, mobility, and physical activity), and underwent a standard clinical assessment. Results. Fifty-two patients participated, 25 with JIA and 27 with JDM. None of the PROMIS measures suffered from ceiling effects, whereas the CHAQ Disability Index (DI) and pain visual analog scales both did, with 50% and 20% of patients achieving the best possible scores, respectively. The PROMIS mobility was moderately correlated to the CHAQ-DI (rs –0.60, 95% CI –0.75 to –0.40), and the PROMIS pain interference was strongly correlated to the CHAQ pain score (rs 0.65, 95% CI 0.43–0.80). No measures correlated with disease activity. Patients preferred the PROMIS to the CHAQ. Conclusion. The PROMIS pain interference, mobility, and physical activity measures improve in some areas where the CHAQ is weak: they do not suffer from ceiling effects, and patients prefer the PROMIS tools. More work is needed to determine the correlation and responsiveness of the PROMIS tools to changes in disease activity over time before they should be widely adopted for clinical use.
Soluble Endoglin as a Potential Biomarker of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) Development, Participating in Aggravation of NASH-Related Changes in Mouse Liver

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by hepatic steatosis with inflammation and fibrosis. Membrane endoglin (Eng) expression is shown to participate in fibrosis, and plasma concentrations of soluble endoglin (sEng) are increased in patients with hypercholesterolemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We hypothesize that NASH increases both hepatic Eng expression and sEng in blood and that high levels of sEng modulate cholesterol and bile acid (BA) metabolism and affect NASH progression. Three-month-old transgenic male mice overexpressing human sEng and their wild type littermates are fed for six months with either a high-saturated fat, high-fructose high-cholesterol (FFC) diet or a chow diet. Evaluation of NASH, Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis of BA, hepatic expression of Eng, inflammation, fibrosis markers, enzymes and transporters involved in hepatic cholesterol and BA metabolism are assessed using Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. The FFC diet significantly increases mouse sEng levels and increases hepatic expression of Eng. High levels of human sEng results in increased hepatic deposition of cholesterol due to reduced conversion into BA, as well as redirects the metabolism of triglycerides (TAG) to its accumulation in the liver, via reduced TAG elimination by β-oxidation combined with reduced hepatic efflux. We propose that sEng might be a biomarker of NASH development, and the presence of high levels of sEng might support NASH aggravation by impairing the essential defensive mechanism protecting NASH liver against excessive TAG and cholesterol accumulation, suggesting the importance of high sEng levels in patients prone to develop NASH.
Stomach-specific c-Myc overexpression drives gastric adenoma in mice through AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant cancers in the world. c-Myc, a well-known oncogene, is commonly amplified in many cancers, including GC. However, it is still not completely understood how c-Myc functions in GC. Here, we generated a stomach-specific c-Myc transgenic mouse model to investigate its role in GC. We found that overexpression of c-Myc in Atp4b+ gastric parietal cells could induce gastric adenoma in mice. Mechanistically, c-Myc promoted tumorigenesis through the AKT/ mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Furthermore, AKT inhibitor (MK-2206) or mTOR inhibitor (rapamycin) inhibited the proliferation of c-Myc overexpressing GC cell lines and the initiation of gastric tumorigenesis in c-Myc transgenic mice. Thus, our findings highlight that gastric tumorigenesis can be induced by c-Myc overexpression through activation of the AKT/mTOR pathway.