Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Postoperative recovery of patients with differential requirements for sevoflurane after abdominal surgery

Abstract An association between animals and volatile anaesthetic requirements has been shown; however, evidence related to the postoperative outcome of human patients is lacking. Our aim was to investigate whether there is a difference in the requirement for sevoflurane among people undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. We observed 390 adult patients who underwent gastrointestinal surgery with an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of I or II with an expected surgery duration of > 2 hours. We used the bispectral index (BIS) to guide the regulation of end-tidal sevoflurane concentration (ETsevo). The mean ETsevo from 20 minutes after endotracheal intubation to 2 hours after the start of surgery was calculated for all patients. Differential sevoflurane requirements were identified according to ETsevo. The BIS, ETsevo, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, dose of sufentanil and cisatracurium, tracheal extubation time, incidence of intraoperative awareness, and incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting were compared between patients with a low requirement for sevoflurane (group L) and patients with a high requirement for sevoflurane (group H). The mean ETsevo of the 390 patients was 1.55% ± 0.26%. Based on our definition, patients with an ETsevo of < 1.29% were allocated to the low requirement group (group L; n = 69), while patients with an ETsevo of > 1.81% were allocated to the high requirement group (group H; n = 78). The ETsevo of group L was significantly lower than the ETsevo of group H (1.29% ± 0.014% vs 1.82% ± 0.017%, P < .001). There was no significant difference in the ETsevo, BIS, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, dose of sufentanil and cisatracurium, tracheal extubation time, incidence of intraoperative awareness, and incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. The tracheal extubation time in the L group was significantly shorter than that in the H group. No intraoperative awareness occurred. There was a significant difference in the requirement for sevoflurane in adult patients. The tracheal extubation time in group L was significantly shorter than that in group H.
Qualitative and Quantitative Comparison of Plasma Exosomes from Neonates and Adults

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that contain nucleic acids, lipids and metabolites, and play a critical role in health and disease as mediators of intercellular communication. The majority of extracellular vesicles in the blood are platelet-derived. Compared to adults, neonatal platelets are hyporeactive and show impaired granule release, associated with defects in Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion Attachment protein REceptor (SNARE) proteins. Since these proteins participate in biogenesis of exosomes, we investigated the potential differences between newborn and adult plasma-derived exosomes. Plasma-derived exosomes were isolated by ultracentrifugation of umbilical cord blood from full-term neonates or peripheral blood from adults. Exosome characterization included size determination by transmission electron microscopy and quantitative proteomic analysis. Plasma-derived exosomes from neonates were significantly smaller and contained 65% less protein than those from adults. Remarkably, 131 proteins were found to be differentially expressed, 83 overexpressed and 48 underexpressed in neonatal (vs. adult) exosomes. Whereas the upregulated proteins in plasma exosomes from neonates are associated with platelet activation, coagulation and granule secretion, most of the underexpressed proteins are immunoglobulins. This is the first study showing that exosome size and content change with age. Our findings may contribute to elucidating the potential “developmental hemostatic mismatch risk” associated with transfusions containing plasma exosomes from adults.
Size-Exclusion Particle Separation Driven by Micro-Flows in a Quasi-Spherical Droplet: Modelling and Experimental Results

Aqueous solution droplets are supported quasi contact-free by superhydrophobic surfaces. The convective flow in evaporating droplets allows the manipulation and control of biological molecules in solution. In previous works, super-hydrophobic drops on nano-patterned substrates have been used to analyze otherwise undetectable species in extremely low concentration ranges. Here, we used particle image velocimetry (PIV) for studying the flow field in water droplets containing polystyrene particles on a pillared silicon super-hydrophobic chip. The particles describe vortex-like motions around the droplet center as long as the evaporating droplet maintains a spherical shape. Simulations by a Finite Element Method (FEM) suggest that the recirculating flow is due to the temperature gradient along the droplet rim, generating a shear stress. Notably, the characteristics of the internal flow can be modulated by varying the intensity of the temperature gradient along the drop. We then used the flow-field determined by experiments and an approximate form of the Langevin equation to examine how particles are transported in the drop as a function of particle size. We found that larger particles with an average size of 36 μm are preferentially transported toward the center of the substrate, differently from smaller particles with a 10-fold lower size that are distributed more uniformly in the drop. Results suggest that solutions of spherical particles on a super-hydrophobic chip can be used to separate soft matter and biological molecules based on their size, similarly to the working principle of a time-of-flight (ToF) mass analyzer, except that the separation takes place in a micro-sphere, with less space, less time, and less solution required for the separation compared to conventional ToF systems.
Loliolide, a New Therapeutic Option for Neurological Diseases? In Vitro Neuroprotective and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of a Monoterpenoid Lactone Isolated from Codium tomentosum

Parkinsons Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide, and is characterized by a progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. Without an effective treatment, it is crucial to find new therapeutic options to fight the neurodegenerative process, which may arise from marine resources. Accordingly, the goal of the present work was to evaluate the ability of the monoterpenoid lactone Loliolide, isolated from the green seaweed Codium tomentosum, to prevent neurological cell death mediated by the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) on SH-SY5Y cells and their anti-inflammatory effects in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Loliolide was obtained from the diethyl ether extract, purified through column chromatography and identified by NMR spectroscopy. The neuroprotective effects were evaluated by the MTT method. Cells’ exposure to 6-OHDA in the presence of Loliolide led to an increase of cells’ viability in 40%, and this effect was mediated by mitochondrial protection, reduction of oxidative stress condition and apoptosis, and inhibition of the NF-kB pathway. Additionally, Loliolide also suppressed nitric oxide production and inhibited the production of TNF-α and IL-6 pro-inflammatory cytokines. The results suggest that Loliolide can inspire the development of new neuroprotective therapeutic agents and thus, more detailed studies should be considered to validate its pharmacological potential.
Similar responsiveness between C57BL/6N and C57BL/6J mouse substrains to superovulation

Superovulation is a method for the drug-induced release of multiple eggs and useful for in vitro fertilization. Thus, its high efficiency largely reduces the number of mice used per experiment. We compared the responsivity to superovulation between C57BL/6N (B6N) and C57BL/6J (B6J) substrains. The average number of ovulated eggs was strikingly higher in both substrains treated with anti-inhibin serum (AIS) plus equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) than those treated with eCG alone. Our data indicate that hypothalamus–pituitary–ovarian axis similarly responds to eCG treatment in B6N and B6J mice, and that this responsiveness is enhanced by the presence of AIS.
Functional Food Components, Intestinal Permeability and Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are characterized by a chronic inflammatory process that affects the intestinal barrier structure. Recent evidence suggests that some food components can influence the integrity of the intestinal barrier and thus its permeability. We aimed at assessing the effect of food components on the intestinal permeability (IP) and on inflammatory markers in individuals with IBD by a single-blind randomized clinical study. Of the 53 individuals included, 47% (n = 25) had been diagnosed with IBD. The participants were divided into 4 groups. IBD patients were allocated to intervention group (n = 14) vs. no intervention group (n = 11), and the same happened with 28 control participants without disease (n = 14 in intervention group vs. n = 14 without intervention). Symptomatology, nutritional status, biochemical parameters (specifically serum zonulin (ZO) to measure IP) were evaluated on all individuals on an eight week period following a diet plan with/without potentially beneficial foods for the IP. At the beginning of the study, there were no significant differences in ZO values between individuals with and without IBD (p > 0.05). The effect of specific food components was inconclusive; however, a trend in the reduction of inflammatory parameters and on the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptomatology was observed. More controlled intervention studies with diet plans, including food components potentially beneficial for the integrity of the intestinal barrier, are of the utmost importance.
Phenolated larch‐bark formaldehyde adhesive with multiple additions of sodium hydroxide

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate the effect of multiple additions of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) on the properties of bark‐phenol‐formaldehyde (BPF) adhesives, and to lay the foundations for further studies on bark utilisation.Design/methodology/approach – Synthetic technologies that used multiple additions of NaOH were developed for the production of BPF adhesives. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and plywood bond were used to evaluate properties of the PF and BPF adhesives.Findings – The number of NaOH additions had an important effect on many BPF adhesive properties, such as gel time, free formaldehyde content in adhesive, thermosetting peak temperature, molecular weight distribution, as well as the wet shear strength and free formaldehyde release of the bonded plywood panels. The study determined that a two‐step process for adding NaOH offers a prospective synthetic technology for BPF adhesive production. This technology made it possible to use 28.6 per cen.
Predicting Hotspots and Prioritizing Protected Areas for Endangered Primate Species in Indonesia under Changing Climate

Simple Summary Primates play an essential role in human life and its ecosystem. However, Indonesian primates have suffered many threats due to climate change and altered landscapes that lead to extinction. Therefore, primate conservation planning and strategies are important in maintaining their population. We quantified how extensively the protected areas overlapped primate hotspots and how it changes under mitigation and worst-case scenarios of climate change. Finally, we provide protected areas recommendations based on species richness and land-use changes under the worst-case scenario for Indonesian primate conservation planning and management options. Abstract Indonesia has a large number of primate diversity where a majority of the species are threatened. In addition, climate change is conservation issues that biodiversity may likely face in the future, particularly among primates. Thus, species-distribution modeling was useful for conservation planning. Herein, we present protected areas (PA) recommendations with high nature-conservation importance based on species-richness changes. We performed maximum entropy (Maxent) to retrieve species distribution of 51 primate species across Indonesia. We calculated species-richness change and range shifts to determine the priority of PA for primates under mitigation and worst-case scenarios by 2050. The results suggest that the models have an excellent performance based on seven different metrics. Current primate distributions occupied 65% of terrestrial landscape. However, our results indicate that 30 species of primates in Indonesia are likely to be extinct by 2050. Future primate species richness would be also expected to decline with the alpha diversity ranging from one to four species per 1 km2. Based on our results, we recommend 54 and 27 PA in Indonesia to be considered as the habitat-restoration priority and refugia, respectively. We conclude that species-distribution modeling approach along with the categorical species richness is effectively applicable for assessing primate biodiversity patterns.
Moderate Red Wine Consumption Increases the Expression of Longevity-Associated Genes in Controlled Human Populations and Extends Lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster

The beneficial effects of moderate red wine consumption on cardiovascular health are well known. The composition of red wine includes several compounds, such as the phytoestrogen resveratrol, that exert these beneficial effects, although not all the mechanisms by which they act are known. Our aim was to study the effect of red wine consumption on longevity-related genes in controlled human populations, such as cloistered nuns. We found that the expression of catalase, manganese-superoxide dismutase, Sirt1, and p53 was increased in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after 14 days of moderate red wine consumption. This increase was accompanied by an enhanced metabolic wellness: fatty acids, cholesterol, branched chain amino acids (isoleucine and leucine), ketone bodies (acetoacetate), bacterial co-metabolites (trimethylamine), and cellular antioxidants (taurine) contributed to a change in metabolic profile after moderate red wine consumption by the nuns. No serious unwanted side effects were observed. Finally, we tested the effect of moderate red wine consumption on longevity in a controlled animal population, such as D. melanogaster, and found that it increased average life span by 7%. In conclusion, moderate red wine consumption increases the expression of key longevity-related genes and improves metabolic health in humans and increases longevity in flies.
Stress and Cardiometabolic Disease Risk for Indigenous Populations throughout the Lifespan

Background: Indigenous people experience the greatest cardiometabolic disease disparity in the Unites States, yet high cardiometabolic disease risk factors do not fully explain the extent of the cardiometabolic disease disparity for Indigenous people. Stress, trauma, and racism occur at high rates within Indigenous communities and have not been well explored as significant contributors to cardiometabolic disease disparities despite emerging literature, and therefore will be described here. Methods: This descriptive study explores the relationship between cardiometabolic disease risks and Indigenous-specific stressors (e.g., early childhood stress and trauma, adulthood stress and trauma, and historical and intergenerational trauma) using current literature. Indigenous-specific protective factors against cardiometabolic disease are also reviewed. Results. Increasing research indicates that there is a relationship between Indigenous-specific stressful and traumatic life experiences and increased cardiometabolic disease risk. Mental health and psychophysiology play an important role in this relationship. Effective interventions to reduce cardiometabolic disease risk in Indigenous communities focus on ameliorating the negative effects of these stressors through the use of culturally specific health behaviors and activities. Conclusions: There is increasing evidence that cultural connection and enculturation are protective factors for cardiometabolic disease, and may be galvanized through Indigenous-led training, research, and policy change.
Sex-Dependent Effects of 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone on Metabolic Health Are Associated with Alterations in the Host Gut Microbiome

7,8-Dihydroxyflavone (DHF) is a naturally occurring flavonoid that has been reported to protect against a variety of pathologies. Chronic administration of DHF prevents high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity in female, but not male, mice. However, the mechanisms underlying this sexual dimorphism have not been elucidated. We have discovered that oral DHF supplementation significantly attenuates fat mass, hepatic lipid accumulation, and adipose tissue inflammation in female mice. In contrast, male mice were not protected from adiposity, and had a paradoxical worsening of hepatic lipid accumulation and adipose tissue inflammation upon DHF supplementation. Consistent with these sexually dimorphic effects on body weight and metabolic health, 7,8-DHF induced early and stable remodeling of the female intestinal microbiome. DHF supplementation significantly increased gut microbial diversity, and suppressed potentially detrimental bacteria, particularly Desulfovibrionaceae, which are pro-inflammatory and positively associated with obesity and inflammation. Changes in the female gut microbiome preceded alterations in body weights, and in silico analyses indicated that these early microbial changes were highly predictive of subsequent weight gain in female mice. While some alterations in the intestinal microbiome were also observed in male DHF-supplemented mice, these changes were distinct from those in females and, importantly, were not predictive of subsequent body weight changes in male animals. The temporality of microbial changes preceding alterations in body weight in female mice suggests a role for the gut microbiome in mediating the sexually dimorphic effects of DHF on body weight. Given the significant clinical interest in this flavonoid across a wide range of pathologies, further elucidation of these sexually dimorphic effects will aid the development of effective clinical therapies.
The Effect of Nutritional Interventions on Long-Term Patient Survival in Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease

Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) are at high risk of malnutrition and subsequent related mortality when starting dialysis. However, there have been few clinical studies on the effect of nutritional interventions on long-term patient survival. A 2-year longitudinal study was conducted from January 2012 to December 2016. A total of 186 patients with non-dialysis ESKD started the nutritional education program (NEP), and 169 completed it. A total of 128 patients participated in a NEP over 6 months (personalized diet, education and oral supplementation, if needed). The control group (n = 45) underwent no specific nutritional intervention. The hospitalization rate was significantly lower for the patients with NEP (13.7%) compared with the control patients (26.7%) (p = 0.004). The mortality odds ratio for the patients who did not receive NEP was 2.883 (95% CI 0.993–8.3365, p = 0.051). The multivariate analysis showed an independent association between mortality and age (OR, 1.103; 95% CI 1.041–1.169; p = 0.001) and between mortality and the female sex (OR, 3.332; 95% CI 1.054–10.535; p = 0.040) but not between mortality and those with NEP (p = 0.051). Individualized nutrition education has long-term positive effects on nutritional status, reduces hospital admissions and increases survival among patients with advanced CKD who are starting dialysis programs.
Exogenously Used 24-Epibrassinolide Promotes Drought Tolerance in Maize Hybrids by Improving Plant and Water Productivity in an Arid Environment

The influence of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR24), applied to leaves at a concentration of 5 μM, on plant physio-biochemistry and its reflection on crop water productivity (CWP) and other agronomic traits of six maize hybrids was field-evaluated under semi-arid conditions. Two levels of irrigation water deficiency (IWD) (moderate and severe droughts; 6000 and 3000 m3 water ha−1, respectively) were applied versus a control (well-watering; 9000 m3 water ha−1). IWD reduced the relative water content, membrane stability index, photosynthetic efficiency, stomatal conductance, and rates of transpiration and net photosynthesis. Conversely, antioxidant enzyme activities and osmolyte contents were significantly increased as a result of the increased malondialdehyde content and electrolyte leakage compared to the control. These negative influences of IWD led to a reduction in CWP and grain yield-related traits. However, EBR24 detoxified the IWD stress effects and enhanced all the above-mentioned parameters. The evaluated hybrids varied in drought tolerance; Giza-168 was the best under moderate drought, while Fine-276 was the best under severe drought. Under IWD, certain physiological traits exhibited a highly positive association with yield and yield-contributing traits or CWP. Thus, exogenously using EBR24 for these hybrids could be an effective approach to improve plant and water productivity under reduced available water in semi-arid environments.
Anthocyanin fingerprint of clones of Tempranillo grapes and wines made with them

Background and Aims: Different clones with distinctive enological characteristics have been identified in many grape cultivars, but data on differences in anthocyanin composition of clones of the same cultivar are scarce. Thus, it has been considered of interest to check changes in the anthocyanin fingerprint of six different clones of Tempranillo grapes grown in the same vineyard, and of wines made with them, over three consecutive years. Methods and Results: Data were submitted to different statistical procedures. Despite slight differences in the anthocyanin fingerprint of some clones (relative content of different anthocyanins analysed), variations from year to year were more important than differences in the anthocyanin profile of the clones considered. This fact was also observed when the content (mg/kg grapes) of those molecules was considered. Moreover, Tempranillo wines made with different clones could be classified by discriminant analysis, using the anthocyanin fingerprint or the levels (mg/L wine) of several anthocyanins as predictor variables, and the year grapes were collected as a classification factor. Conclusions: The anthocyanin fingerprint of six clones of Tempranillo grapes grown in the same vineyard and that of wines made with them over three consecutive years was affected mostly by weather conditions, despite slight differences in the anthocyanin fingerprint of some clones. Significance of the Study: This is the first report on the anthocyanin composition of different clones of Tempranillo grapes and of wines made with them, and indicates that anthocyanin fingerprint of Tempranillo wines depends mainly on agroclimatic factors, and not on genetic differences among clones.