Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bowel ischemia as onset of COVID‐19 in otherwise asymptomatic patients with persistently negative swab

Asymptomatic patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) can develop hypercoagulable conditions and acute vascular events. The objective of this study is to determine whether SARS‐CoV‐2 was present in resected specimens from patients with acute bowel ischemia, but asymptomatic for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and with persistently real‐time polymerase chain reaction negative pharyngeal swab.
Two Novel Variants in YARS2 Gene Are Responsible for an Extended MLASA Phenotype with Pancreatic Insufficiency

Pathogenic variants in the mitochondrial tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase gene (YARS2) were associated with myopathy, lactic acidosis, and sideroblastic anemia (MLASA). However, patients can present mitochondrial myopathy, with exercise intolerance and muscle weakness, leading from mild to lethal phenotypes. Genes implicated in mtDNA replication were studied by Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and whole exome sequence with the TruSeq Rapid Exome kit (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA). Mitochondrial protein translation was studied following the Sasarman and Shoubridge protocol and oxygen consumption rates with Agilent Seahorse XF24 Analyzer Mitostress Test, (Agilent, Santa Clara, CA, USA). We report two siblings with two novel compound heterozygous pathogenic variants in YARS2 gene: a single nucleotide deletion in exon 1, c.314delG (p.(Gly105Alafs*4)), which creates a premature stop codon in the amino acid 109, and a single nucleotide change in exon 5 c.1391T>C (p.(Ile464Thr)), that cause a missense variant in amino acid 464. We demonstrate the pathogenicity of these new variants associated with reduced YARS2 mRNA transcript, reduced mitochondrial protein translation and dysfunctional organelle function. These pathogenic variants are responsible for late onset MLASA, herein accompanied by pancreatic insufficiency, observed in both brothers, clinically considered as Pearson’s syndrome. Molecular study of YARS2 gene should be considered in patients presenting Pearson’s syndrome characteristics and MLASA related phenotypes.
Enhancement of TEX264-Mediated ER-Phagy Contributes to the Therapeutic Effect of Glycycoumarin against APA Hepatotoxicity in Mice

Acetaminophen (APA)-induced hepatotoxicity is coupled with the activation of autophagy. We sought to determine whether selective autophagy of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), termed ER-phagy, is involved in APA hepatotoxicity and to explore its potential as a therapeutic target for APA-induced liver injury (AILI). APA (300 or 600 mg/kg) was administered to male C57BL/6N mice, with and without rapamycin, glycycoumarin (GCM) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC). The results demonstrated that ER-phagy accompanied with ER stress was activated after APA overdose. The dynamic changes of LC3 and TEX264 revealed that ER-phagy was induced as early as 6 h and peaked at 24 h following the APA injection. A delayed treatment with GCM, but not rapamycin, considerably attenuated a liver injury and, consequently, reduced its mortality. This is probably due to the inhibition of ER stress and the acceleration of liver regeneration via enhanced ER-phagy. Unlike the impaired hepatocyte proliferation and more severe liver injury in mice that received prolonged treatment with NAC, liver recovery is facilitated by repeated treatment with GCM. These findings suggest that TEX264-mediated ER-phagy is a compensatory mechanism against ER stress provoked by an APA overdose. A delayed and prolonged treatment with GCM enhances ER-phagy, thus serving as a potential therapeutic approach for patients presenting at the late stage of AILI.
Pepsinogen and Serum IgG Detection Is a Valuable Diagnostic Method for Helicobacter pylori Infection in a Low-Prevalence Country: A Report from Sri Lanka

The use of serum anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG and pepsinogen (PG) detection as a diagnostic method was evaluated in Sri Lanka. Gastric biopsies were performed (353 patients), and the prevalence of H. pylori infection was 1.7% (culture) and 2.0% (histology). IgG serology testing showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.922 (cut-off, 2.95 U/mL; specificity, 91.56%; sensitivity, 88.89%). Histological evaluation showed mild atrophy (34.3%), moderate atrophy (1.7%), metaplasia (1.7%), chronic gastritis (6.2%), and normal tissue (56%). The PGI/PGII ratio was significantly higher in H. pylori-negative patients (p < 0.01). PGII and PGI/PGII levels were lower in patients with metaplasia than in those with normal mucosa (p = 0.049 and p < 0.001, respectively). The PGI/PGII ratio best discriminated metaplasia and moderate atrophy (AUC 0.88 and 0.76, respectively). PGI and PGII alone showed poor discriminative ability, especially in mild atrophy (0.55 and 0.53, respectively) and chronic gastritis (0.55 and 0.53, respectively). The best cut-off to discriminate metaplasia was 3.25 U/mL (95.19% specificity, 83.33% sensitivity). Anti-H. pylori IgG and PG assessment (ABC method) was performed (group B, 2.0%; group A, 92.1%). The new cut-off more accurately identified patients with metaplasia requiring follow-up (group B, 5.4%). Assessment of anti-H. pylori IgG and PG is valuable in countries with a low prevalence of H. pylori infection.
Genetic Profile in Genes Associated with Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Elite Spanish Male Endurance Athletes

Background: most of the research concerning the influence of genetics on endurance performance has been carried out by investigating target genes separately. However, endurance performance is a complex trait that can stem from the interaction of several genes. The objective of this study was to compare the frequencies of polymorphisms in target genes involving cardiorespiratory functioning in elite endurance athletes vs. non-athlete controls. Methods: genotypic frequencies were determined in 123 elite endurance athletes and in 122 non-athletes. Genotyping of ACE (rs4340), NOS3 (rs2070744 and rs1799983), ADRA2a (rs1800544 and rs553668), ADRB2 (rs1042713 and rs1042714), and BDKRB2 (rs5810761) was performed by polymerase chain reaction. The total genotype score (TGS: from 0 to 100 arbitrary units; a.u.) was calculated from the genotype score in each polymorphism. Results: the mean TGS in non-athletes (47.72 ± 11.29 a.u.) was similar to elite endurance athletes (46.54 ± 11.32 a.u., p = 0.415). The distribution of TGS frequencies were also similar in non-athletes and elite endurance athletes (p = 0.333). There was no TGS cut-off point to discriminate being elite endurance athletes. Conclusions: the genetic profile in the selected genes was similar in elite endurance athletes and in controls, suggesting that the combination of these genes does not determine endurance performance.
Estudo da composição química da jaca (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) desidratada, in natura e liofilizada

Este trabalho teve como objetivos determinar as composicoes fisicoquimica e mineral das sementes da jaca mole (JM) e da jaca dura (JD) desidratada, das polpas da JM e da JD desidratada, liofilizada e in natura. Para isto, foram determinados os percentuais de: umidade, cinza, lipideos, proteina e carboidrato. Foram analisadas por ICP-OES as concentracoes dos elementos: calcio, cobre, ferro, magnesio, cromo, manganes, potassio, sodio, zinco, niquel e cobalto. Os resultados mostraram que as sementes da JM e da JD tem composicoes bromatologicas muito proximas: 63% de umidade, 18% de carboidrato, 15% de proteina e 3% de cinzas. A maior diferenca foi no teor de lipideos (0,4% - JM e 0,9% - JD). As composicoes minerais sao bem distintas. O potassio e o magnesio sao os mais abundantes em ambas as variedades (95,8% - JM e 93,2% - JD). As sementes de JD tem 5,5 vezes mais Na, 24% mais Ca, 3 vezes mais Zn e 2% mais K. As sementes de JM tem 32% mais Fe, 37% mais Mn e 16% mais Mg. Do ponto de vista fisicoquimico, as polpas tem uma grande distincao. A polpa da JD tem 9,5 vezes mais lipideos e o dobro de carboidrato. A polpa da JM tem 10% mais umidade e 14% mais cinza. O teor de proteina e muito semelhante. Nas polpas, a composicao de minerais e bem diferente, embora o potassio e o magnesio sejam os elementos majoritarios nas duas variedades. (96,1% - JM e 92,4% - JD). A polpa de JM tem 33% mais K, 29% mais Mg, 26% mais Mn, 48% mais Na, 16% mais Cu, 24% mais Fe e 5% mais Zn. A polpa da JD tem 45% mais Ca, o que pode explicar sua maior firmeza. A composicao quimica das polpas da JM e da JD in natura sao muito parecidas em relacao as concentracoes de Fe, Cu, Mn e Mg. A polpa da JD in natura tem 2,6 vezes mais Ca e 27% mais Zn. A variedade mole in natura tem 5% mais K e 25% mais Na. A liofilizacao preservou mais o teor de carboidratos nas polpas das duas variedades de jaca. Os resultados foram submetidos ao teste t pareado, com 95% de significância, para inferir sobre a significância da igualdade ou desigualdade dos parâmetros comparados.
EEG-Based Emotion Recognition by Exploiting Fused Network Entropy Measures of Complex Networks across Subjects

It is well known that there may be significant individual differences in physiological signal patterns for emotional responses. Emotion recognition based on electroencephalogram (EEG) signals is still a challenging task in the context of developing an individual-independent recognition method. In our paper, from the perspective of spatial topology and temporal information of brain emotional patterns in an EEG, we exploit complex networks to characterize EEG signals to effectively extract EEG information for emotion recognition. First, we exploit visibility graphs to construct complex networks from EEG signals. Then, two kinds of network entropy measures (nodal degree entropy and clustering coefficient entropy) are calculated. By applying the AUC method, the effective features are input into the SVM classifier to perform emotion recognition across subjects. The experiment results showed that, for the EEG signals of 62 channels, the features of 18 channels selected by AUC were significant (p < 0.005). For the classification of positive and negative emotions, the average recognition rate was 87.26%; for the classification of positive, negative, and neutral emotions, the average recognition rate was 68.44%. Our method improves mean accuracy by an average of 2.28% compared with other existing methods. Our results fully demonstrate that a more accurate recognition of emotional EEG signals can be achieved relative to the available relevant studies, indicating that our method can provide more generalizability in practical use.
Environmental Factors Affecting Cognitive Function among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study

Although neighborhood environmental factors have been found to be associated with cognitive decline, few longitudinal studies have focused on their effect on older adults living in rural areas. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the role of neighborhood environmental factors in cognitive decline among rural older adults. The data of 485 older adults aged ≥60 years who were living in Unnan City in Japan and had participated in two surveys conducted between 2014 and 2018 were analyzed. Cognitive function was assessed using the Cognitive Assessment for Dementia, iPad version 2. Elevation, hilliness, residential density, and proximity to a community center were determined using geographic information system. We applied a generalized estimating equation with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of cognitive decline in the quartiles of neighborhood environmental factors. A total of 56 (11.6%) participants demonstrated a decrease in cognitive function at follow up. Elevation (adjusted OR 2.58, 95% CI (1.39, 4.77) for Q4 vs. Q1) and hilliness (adjusted OR 1.93, 95% CI (1.03, 3.63) for Q4 vs. Q1) were associated with a higher likelihood of cognitive decline. The second quartiles of residential density showed significantly lower likelihoods of cognitive decline compared with the first quartiles (adjusted OR 0.36, 95% CI (0.19, 0.71) for Q2 vs. Q1). Thus, an elevated hilly environment and residential density predicted cognitive decline among rural older adults.
Modulation of the Cardiac Myocyte Action Potential by the Magnesium-Sensitive TRPM6 and TRPM7-like Current

The cardiac Mg2+-sensitive, TRPM6, and TRPM7-like channels remain undefined, especially with the uncertainty regarding TRPM6 expression in cardiomyocytes. Additionally, their contribution to the cardiac action potential (AP) profile is unclear. Immunofluorescence assays showed the expression of the TRPM6 and TRPM7 proteins in isolated pig atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes, of which the expression was modulated by incubation in extracellular divalent cation-free conditions. In patch clamp studies of cells dialyzed with solutions containing zero intracellular Mg2+ concentration ([Mg2+]i) to activate the Mg2+-sensitive channels, raising extracellular [Mg2+] ([Mg2+]o) from the 0.9-mM baseline to 7.2 mM prolonged the AP duration (APD). In contrast, no such effect was observed in cells dialyzed with physiological [Mg2+]i. Under voltage clamp, in cells dialyzed with zero [Mg2+]i, depolarizing ramps induced an outward-rectifying current, which was suppressed by raising [Mg2+]o and was absent in cells dialyzed with physiological [Mg2+]i. In cells dialyzed with physiological [Mg2+]i, raising [Mg2+]o decreased the L-type Ca2+ current and the total delayed-rectifier current but had no effect on the APD. These results suggest a co-expression of the TRPM6 and TRPM7 proteins in cardiomyocytes, which are therefore the molecular candidates for the native cardiac Mg2+-sensitive channels, and also suggest that the cardiac Mg2+-sensitive current shortens the APD, with potential implications in arrhythmogenesis.
Impact of a Carbohydrate Mouth Rinse on Corticomotor Excitability after Mental Fatigue in Healthy College-Aged Subjects

Mental Fatigue (MF) has been associated with reduced physical performance but the mechanisms underlying this result are unclear. A reduction in excitability of the corticomotor system is a way mental fatigue could negatively impact physical performance. Carbohydrate (CHO) mouth rinse (MR) has been shown to increase corticomotor excitability. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if CHO MR impacts corticomotor excitability after MF. METHODS: Fifteen subjects (nine females, six males; age = 23 ± 1 years; height = 171 ± 2 cm; body mass = 69 ± 3 kg; BMI = 23.8 ± 0.7) completed two sessions under different MR conditions (Placebo (PLAC), 6.4% glucose (CHO)) separated by at least 48 h and applied in a double-blinded randomized fashion. Motor-evoked potential (MEP) of the left first dorsal interosseous (FDI) was determined by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) before and after MF. Perceived MF was recorded before and after the MF task using a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS: MF was greater following PLAC (+30.4 ± 4.0 mm) than CHO (+19.4 ± 3.9 mm) (p = 0.005). MEP was reduced more following PLAC (−16.6 ± 4.4%) than CHO (−3.7 ± 4.7%) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CHO MR was successful at attenuating the reduction in corticomotor excitability after MF. Carbohydrate mouth rinse may be a valuable tool at combating the negative consequences of mental fatigue.
Molecular Dynamics Studies on the Structural Characteristics for the Stability Prediction of SARS-CoV-2

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) affects the COVID-19 pandemic in the world. The spike protein of the various proteins encoded in SARS-CoV-2 binds to human ACE2, fuses, and enters human cells in the respiratory system. Spike protein, however, is highly variable, and many variants were identified continuously. In this study, Korean mutants for spike protein (D614G and D614A-C terminal domain, L455F and F456L-RBD, and Q787H-S2 domain) were investigated in patients. Because RBD in spike protein is related to direct interaction with ACE2, almost all researches were focused on the RBD region or ACE2-free whole domain region. The 3D structure for spike protein complexed with ACE2 was recently released. The stability analysis through RBD distance among each spike protein chain and the binding free energy calculation between spike protein and ACE2 were performed using MD simulation depending on mutant types in 1-, 2-, and 3-open-complex forms. D614G mutant of CT2 domain, showing to be the most prevalent in the global pandemic, showed higher stability in all open-complex forms than the wild type and other mutants. We hope this study will provide an insight into the importance of conformational fluctuation in the whole domain, although RBD is involved in the direct interaction with ACE2.
A Walk in the Park? Examining the Impact of App-Based Weather Warnings on Affective Reactions and the Search for Information in a Virtual City

Background: Warning apps can provide personalized public warnings, but research on their appraisal and impact on compliance is scarce. This study introduces a virtual city framework to examine affective reactions when receiving an app-based warning, and subsequent behavioral intentions. Methods: In an online experiment, 276 participants (M = 41.07, SD = 16.44, 62.0% female) were randomly allocated to one of eight groups (warning vs. no warning, thunderstorm vs. no thunderstorm, video vs. vignette). Participants were guided through a virtual city by a mock-up touristic app (t1). Then, the app issued a warning about an impending thunderstorm (t2), followed by a virtual thunderstorm (t3). The virtual city tour was presented via vignettes or videos. ANCOVAs were used to investigate trajectories of momentary anxiety, hierarchical regressions analyzed the impact of momentary anxiety on information seeking. Results: Participants who received a warning message and were confronted with a thunderstorm showed the highest increase in momentary anxiety, which predicted information seeking intentions. Conclusions: The findings underscore the importance of affective appraisal in processing warning messages. The virtual city framework is able to differentiate the impact of warning versus event in an online context, and thus promising for future warning research in virtual settings.
Differential Expression of the Androgen Receptor, Splice Variants and Relaxin 2 in Renal Cancer

Background: The role of the androgen receptor (AR) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is unclear. We aimed to analyze the expression of AR and its splice variants (SVs) and their correlation with relaxin 2 (RLN2) and cytokines in RCC. Methods: We investigated the expression of RLN2 and AR variants in 25 clear cell RCC (ccRCC) and 9 papillary (pRCC) tumor tissues and the corresponding controls using quantitative PCR and serum RLN2, testosterone and cytokine levels in matched samples using ELISA and chemiluminescent immunometric assay, respectively. Results: ccRCC tissues but not pRCC tissues more frequently expressed AR and the SVs than did normal tissues. All pRCC samples expressed more AR than did ccRCC samples. The highest expression of all AR variants except AR-V12 was found in low-stage tumors, with dominant expression of AR-V7. In males in the ccRCC cohort, the expression of AR-FL, AR-V1 and AR-V3 was significantly correlated with that of RLN2. The secretion pattern of proinflammatory IL-6 was higher in ccRCC than in pRCC. Conclusions: The results highlight additional molecular differences between ccRCC and pRCC, suggesting the influence of external factors on the whole kidney or genetic predispositions to developing certain types of renal cancer, and may support further pathological analysis and studies of targeted hormone therapy.
Effect of Direct Powder Forging Process on the Mechanical Properties and Microstructural of Ti-6Al-4V ELI

The study of powder metallurgy processing methods for titanium represents a promising avenue that can respond to a growing demand. This work reports the feasibility of direct powder forging (DPF) as a method to process large spherical Ti-6Al-4V powder into wrought products with noteworthy properties and physical characteristics. Direct powder forging is a thermomechanical process that imparts uniaxial loading to an enclosed and uncompacted powder to produce parts of various sizes and shapes. Stainless steel canisters were filled with prealloyed Ti-6Al-4V powder and consolidated through a multi-step open-die forging and rolling process into wrought DPF bars. After DPF, annealing was performed in the upper α+β phase. The results show that full consolidation was achieved and higher mechanical properties than the Ti-6Al-4V grade F-23 requirements in annealed conditions were obtained. The results also show that direct powder forging of spherical titanium powder could produce wrought mill products and exhibit some potential for further investigation for industrial applications.
Optimization of Culture Conditions and Production of Bio-Fungicides from Trichoderma Species under Solid-State Fermentation Using Mathematical Modeling

Agro-industrial wastes suitable for economical and high mass production of novel Trichoderma species under solid-state fermentation were identified by optimizing the culture conditions using a mathematical model and evaluating the viability of the formulated bio-product. Fourteen inexpensive, locally available, organic substrates and cereals were examined using a one-factor-at-a-time experiment. The fungus colonized nearly all substrates after 21 days of incubation, although the degree of colonization and conidiation varied among the substrates. A mixture of wheat bran and white rice (2:1 w/w) was found to support maximum growth of T. asperellum AU131 (3.2 × 107 spores/g dry substrate) and T. longibrachiatum AU158 (3.5 × 107 spores/g dry substrate). Using a fractional factorial design, the most significant growth factors influencing biomass production were found to be temperature, moisture content, inoculum concentration, and incubation period (p ≤ 0.05). Analysis of variance of a Box–Behnken design showed that the regression model was highly significant (p ≤ 0.05) with F-values of 10.38 (P = 0.0027, T. asperellum AU131) and 12.01 (p < 0.0017, T. longibrachiatum AU158). Under optimal conditions, maximum conidia yield of log10 (8.6) (T. asperellum AU131) and log10(9.18) (T. longibrachiatum) were obtained. For wettable powder Trichoderma species formulations, it was possible to maintain conidial viability at room temperature (25 °C) for eight months at concentrations above 106 CFU/g.