Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thiencarbazone-Methyl Efficacy, Absorption, Translocation, and Metabolism in Vining Weed Species

Abstract The efficacy, absorption, translocation, and metabolism of thiencarbazone-methyl (TCM) in hedge bindweed, field bindweed, ivyleaf morningglory, tall morningglory, and wild buckwheat were evaluated in greenhouse experiments and field trials. Forty-eight hours after foliar microapplication, 14C-TCM absorption was highest in ivyleaf morningglory (60%), followed by field bindweed (50%), wild buckwheat (35%), tall morningglory (17%), and hedge bindweed (9%). In all species, 14C-TCM was translocated systemically. By 24 h after application, 14C-TCM was detected in all parts of the plants. The translocation pattern is species-specific, with more translocation in tall morningglory and wild buckwheat. In all vining weeds 14C-TCM was almost not metabolized whereas corn metabolized almost all 14C-TCM 48 h after application. The efficacy of TCM was analyzed using dose–response curves. Wild buckwheat had the lowest value for the dose at which 50% of the activity occurs (2.1 g ai ha−1 TCM), followed by hedge bindweed and ivyleaf morningglory. Field studies confirmed the high control of wild buckwheat with TCM. Even at the lowest tested concentration of TCM, wild buckwheat was controlled by over 90%. In contrast, efficacy of TCM in field trials against perennial vining weeds was very low, 25% for field bindweed and 65% against hedge bindweed. Control efficacy could be well explained by the translocation pattern of TCM in vining weeds. Nomenclature: Thiencarbazone-methyl; field bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis L. CONAR; hedge bindweed, Calystegia sepium (L.) R.Br. CAGSE; ivyleaf morningglory, Ipomoea hederacea Jacq. IPOHE; tall morningglory, Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth PHBPU; wild buckwheat, Polygonum convolvulus L. POLCO; corn, Zea mays L. ZEAMA.
Systemic corticosteroids show no benefit in severe and critical COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China: A retrospective cohort study

Background: Systemic corticosteroids are recommended by some treatment guidelines and used in severe and critical COVID-19 patients, though evidence supporting such use is limited. Methods: From December 26, 2019 to March 15, 2020, 1514 severe and 249 critical hospitalized COVID-19 patients were collected from two medical centers in Wuhan, China. We performed multivariable Cox models, Cox model with time-varying exposure and propensity score analysis (both inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighting (IPTW) and propensity score matching (PSM)) to estimate the association of corticosteroid use with the risk of in-hospital mortality among severe and critical cases. Results: Corticosteroids were administered in 531 (35.1%) severe and 159 (63.9%) critical patients. Compared to no corticosteroid use group, systemic corticosteroid use showed no benefit in reducing in-hospital mortality in both severe cases (HR=1.77, 95% CI: 1.08-2.89, p=0.023), and critical cases (HR=2.07, 95% CI: 1.08-3.98, p=0.028). In the time-varying Cox analysis that with time varying exposure, systemic corticosteroid use still showed no benefit in either population (for severe patients, HR=2.83, 95% CI: 1.72-4.64, p< 0.001; for critical patients, HR=3.02, 95% CI: 1.59-5.73, p=0.001). Baseline characteristics were matched after IPTW and PSM analysis. For severe COVID-19 patients at admission, corticosteroid use was not associated with improved outcome in either the IPTW analysis. For critical COVID-19 patients at admission, results were consistent with former analysis that corticosteroid use did not reduce in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: Corticosteroid use showed no benefit in reducing in-hospital mortality for severe or critical cases. The routine use of systemic corticosteroids among severe and critical COVID-19 patients was not recommended.
Red Light Is Effective in Reducing Nitrate Concentration in Rocket by Increasing Nitrate Reductase Activity, and Contributes to Increased Total Glucosinolates Content

Rocket cultivation is increasing to supply the expanding ready-to-eat market because of its unique taste, but crops are often over fertilized to avoid nitrogen deficiencies. This leads to nitrate accumulation in leaves, and the products of their degradation (nitrites and nitrosamines) have been related to several health problems. Nitrate concentrations in rocket and other leafy vegetables are subject to limits by the EU legislation, yet rocket holds a great nutritional value. Degradation products of glucosinolates (isothiocyanates) have been consistently linked with benefits to human health. We investigated the influence of nitrogen application (1 and 8 mM), species [Eruca sativa (L.) Cav. and Diplotaxis tenuifolia (L.) DC. ] and light spectrum (full spectrum, red, blue and red + blue) on the nitrate concentration, nitrate reductase activity and glucosinolate content of rocket grown in a soil-less system. Red light decreased the nitrate concentration with respect to the blue spectrum (4,270 vs. 7,100 mg⋅kg–1 of fresh weight, respectively), but such reduction was influenced by the species and the nitrogen level (significantly higher in D. tenuifolia and with the higher concentration of N). The nitrate reductase activity increased under red light in D. tenuifolia, with the lower N concentration. Rocket is known to contain several health-promoting compounds mainly antioxidants and glucosinolates, as secondary metabolites that act as part of plant defense mechanisms. The total content of glucosinolates was mainly affected by the species (D. tenuifolia showed the highest concentrations). Our results will help growers to tailor light spectra with the aim of reducing nitrate concentration and to remain within EU legislative limits, without any detrimental influence on other qualitative parameters in rocket.
Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Can Improve Spatial Learning and Memory and Attenuate Aβ42 Burden at the Early Stage of Alzheimer’s Disease in APP/PS1 Transgenic Mice

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an irreversible progressive neurodegenerative disease. Intervention in the early stage of AD is a new path for AD treatment that is being explored. The behavioral and pathological effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (AtDCS) at the early stage of AD in the mouse model, amyloid precursor protein (APP)/presenilin-1 (PS1) transgenic mice, were investigated based on our previous studies. Thirty-three 6-month-old male APP/PS1 mice were randomly divided into the model group (AD group), model + sham stimulation group (ADST group) and stimulation group (ADT group). Eleven 6-month-old male C57 wild-type mice were randomly selected as a control group (CTL group). The ADT group received 10 AtDCS sessions. The Morris water maze (MWM) task and novel object recognition (NOR) task were used to test mouse memory. Nissl staining, Western blot (WB), immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining of β-amyloid (Aβ42), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and NF200 were conducted for pathological analysis. The ADT group and the CTL group had a shorter escape latency and more platform-region crossings than the AD group and ADST group in the MWM. There was no significant difference in the discrimination index among the groups in the NOR task. Pathological analysis showed visible differences between the AD group and ADT group. This study revealed that early-stage APP/PS1 transgenic mice did not show recognition memory impairment. AtDCS effectively improved spatial learning and memory in the early-stage APP/PS1 transgenic mouse model of AD, alleviating Aβ burden and having a protective effect on neurons. AtDCS could improve AD-related symptoms by activating many glial cells to promote the degradation and clearance of Aβ or directly affecting production and degradation of Aβ to reduce glial activation. AtDCS is an effective means of early intervention in the early stage of AD.
Nanophytomedicines for the Prevention of Metabolic Syndrome: A Pharmacological and Biopharmaceutical Review

Metabolic syndrome includes a series of metabolic abnormalities that leads to diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. Plant extracts, due to their unique advantages like anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and insulin sensitizing properties, are interesting therapeutic options to manage MetS; however, the poor solubility and low bioavailability of lipophilic bioactive components in the herbal extracts are two critical challenges. Nano-scale delivery systems are suitable to improve delivery of herbal extracts. This review, for the first time, focuses on nanoformulations of herbal extracts in MetS and related complications. Included studies showed that several forms of nano drug delivery systems such as nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanobiocomposites, and green-synthesized silver, gold, and zinc oxide nanoparticles have been developed using herbal extracts. It was shown that the method of preparation and related parameters such as temperature and type of polymer are important factors affecting physicochemical stability and therapeutic activity of the final product. Many of these formulations could successfully decrease the lipid profile, inflammation, oxidative damage, and insulin resistance in in vitro and in vivo models of MetS-related complications. Further studies are still needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of these novel herbal formulations for clinical application.
Structured Light: Ideas and Concepts

The paper briefly presents some essential concepts and features of light fields with strong spatial inhomogeneity of amplitude, phase, polarization, and other parameters. It contains a characterization of optical vortices, speckle fields, polarization singularities. A special attention is paid to the field dynamical characteristics (energy, momentum, angular momentum, and their derivatives), which are considered not only as mechanical attributes of the field but also as its meaningful and application-oriented descriptive parameters. Peculiar features of the light dynamical characteristics in inhomogeneous and dispersive media are discussed. The dynamical properties of paraxial beams and evanescent waves (including surface plasmon–polaritons) are analyzed in more detail; in particular, a general treatment of the extraordinary spin and momentum, orthogonal to the main propagation direction, is outlined. Applications of structured light fields for optical manipulation, metrology, probing, and data processing are described.
Reproductive biology of Palaemon pandaliformis (Stimpson, 1871) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Caridea) from two estuaries in southeastern Brazil

Abstract The reproductive biology of Palaemon pandaliformis was investigated in the estuaries of the Comprido and Ubatumirim rivers at Ubatuba, State of São Paulo, Brazil, by means of samples obtained from April 2003 to March 2004. Samples were collected monthly, using sieves, which were passed several times under the marginal vegetation. In the laboratory, the sex of each shrimp was assessed and the carapace length (CL, mm) measured. Ovigerous females were separated and counted for determination of fecundity. The egg diameter was measured with a calibrated micrometer scale under an stereo-microscope. The breeding period was seasonal in the Comprido River Estuary, and continuous throughout the year in the Ubatumirim River estuary. The mean size of ovigerous females was higher in the population in the Comprido River (5.90±0.68 mm CL ±sd) than in the Ubatumirim River (5.50±0.58 mm). The most intense reproductive period of P. pandaliformis was from October 2003 to March 2004 for bo h estuaries. The mean fecundity of P. pandaliformis in the Comprido River was 189±53 eggs (n=124), and at Ubatumirim, 130±25; mean ±sd eggs (n=80), values that are similar to other palaemonid species from similar latitudes. A positive correlation between the number of eggs and the size of the female was obtained for both populations. The eggs were relatively small, indicative of low energy allocation to each embryo, with mean dimensions ranging from 0.44±0.08 mm to 0.69±0.069 mm.
Epidemiology, risk factors and clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients in a Swiss university hospital: An observational retrospective study

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now a global pandemic with Europe and the USA at its epicenter. Little is known about risk factors for progression to severe disease in Europe. This study aims to describe the epidemiology of COVID-19 patients in a Swiss university hospital. Methods This retrospective observational study included all adult patients hospitalized with a laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from March 1 to March 25, 2020. We extracted data from electronic health records. The primary outcome was the need to mechanical ventilation at day 14. We used multivariate logistic regression to identify risk factors for mechanical ventilation. Follow-up was of at least 14 days. Results 200 patients were included, of whom 37 (18.5%) needed mechanical ventilation at 14 days. The median time from symptoms onset to mechanical ventilation was 9.5 days (IQR 7.00, 12.75). Multivariable regression showed increased odds of mechanical ventilation in males (3.26, 1.21-9.8; p=0.025), in patients who presented with a qSOFA score [≥]2 (6.02, 2.09-18.82; p=0.001), with bilateral infiltrate (5.75, 1.91-21.06; p=0.004) or with a CRP of 40 mg/l or greater (4.73, 1.51-18.58; p=0.013). Conclusions This study gives some insight in the epidemiology and clinical course of patients admitted in a European tertiary hospital with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Male sex, high qSOFA score, CRP of 40 mg/l or greater and a bilateral radiological infiltrate could help clinicians identify patients at high risk for mechanical ventilation.
The Estimated Time-Varying Reproduction Numbers during the Ongoing Pandemic of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in 12 Selected Countries outside China

Background: How can we anticipate the progression of the ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)? As a measure of transmissibility, we aimed to estimate concurrently the time-varying reproduction number, R0(t), over time during the COVID-19 pandemic for each of the following 12 heavily-attacked countries: Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Belgium, United Kingdom, the United States of America, and South Africa. Methods: We downloaded the publicly available COVID-19 pandemic data from the WHO COVID-19 Dashboard website (https://covid19.who.int/) for the duration of January 11, 2020 and May 1, 2020. Then, we specified two plausible distributions of serial interval to apply the novel estimation method implemented in the incidence and EpiEstim packages to the data of daily new confirmed cases for robustly estimating R0(t) in the R software. Results: We plotted the epidemic curves of daily new confirmed cases for the 12 selected countries. A clear peak of the epidemic curve appeared in 10 of the 12 selected countries at various time points, and then the epidemic curve declined gradually. However, the United States of America and South Africa happened to have two or more peaks and their epidemic curves either reached a plateau or still climbed up. Almost all curves of the estimated R0(t) monotonically went down to be less than or close to 1.0 up to April 30, 2020 except Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Iran, and South Africa, of which the curves surprisingly went up and down at various time periods during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the United States of America and South Africa were the two countries with the approximate R0(t) [≥] 1.0 at the end of April, and thus they were now facing the harshest battles against the coronavirus among the 12 selected countries. By contrast, Spain, Germany, and France with smaller values of the estimated R0(t) were relatively better than the other 9 countries. Conclusion: Seeing the estimated R0(t) going downhill speedily is more informative than looking for the drops in the daily number of new confirmed cases during an ongoing epidemic of infectious disease. We urge public health authorities and scientists to estimate R0(t) routinely during an epidemic of infectious disease and to report R0(t) daily to the public until the end of the epidemic.
The association of cardiovascular disease and other pre-existing comorbidities with COVID-19 mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Importance. Exploring the association of coronavirus-2019 disease (COVID-19) mortality with chronic pre-existing conditions may promote the importance of targeting these populations during this pandemic in order to optimize survival. Objective. To explore the association of pre-existing conditions with COVID-19 mortality. Data Sources. MEDLINE, the OVID databases, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials were searched for the period October 1, 2019 to May 1, 2020. Snowballing was used to identify additional studies. Study Selection. Observational studies (n=19) reporting on 61,455 patients with relative risks (RR) or hazard ratios or odds ratios that reported the risk of mortality in patients with COVID-19 and comorbid conditions were included for the current study. Data Extraction and Synthesis. Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. All analyses were performed using random-effects models and heterogeneity was quantified. Main Outcomes and Measures The outcome of interest was the risk of COVID-19 mortality in patients with and without pre-existing conditions, reported as RR. Comorbidities explored were cardiovascular diseases (coronary artery disease, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, and congestive heart failure), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, and stroke. Results. Ten chronic conditions from 19 studies were included in the meta-analysis (n=61,455 patients with COVID-19; mean age, 61 years; 57% male). Any cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, hypertension, congestive heart failure, and cancer significantly increased the risk of mortality from COVID-19. Cardiovascular disease was associated with a 135% higher risk of COVID-19 mortality (RR=2.35, 95%CI 1.44-3.84 n=9). The risk of mortality from COVID-19 in patients with coronary heart disease was 2.4 times as high as those without coronary heart disease (RR= 2.40, 95%CI=1.71-3.37, n=5) and twice as high in patients with hypertension as high as that compared to those without hypertension (RR=1.89, 95%CI= 1.58-2.27, n=9). Patients with cancer also were at twice the risk of mortality from COVID-19 compared to those without cancer (RR=1.93 95%CI 1.15-3.24, n=4), and those with congestive heart failure were at 2.5 times the risk of mortality compared to those without congestive heart failure (RR=2.66, 95%CI 1.58-4.48, n=3). Conclusions and Relevance COVID-19 patients with all any cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, hypertension, congestive heart failure, and cancer have an increased risk of mortality. Tailored infection prevention and treatment strategies targeting this high-risk population are warranted to optimize survival.
Impact of Bilateral Sympathetic Stellate Ganglionectomy on TGF-β1 Signaling Pathway in Rats With Chronic Volume Overload

Background: We previously reported that bilateral sympathetic stellate ganglionectomy attenuated cardiac remodeling and fibrosis in rats with chronic volume overload. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) is a polypeptide member of the transforming growth factor beta superfamily of cytokines and actively involved in many pathological processes of cardiovascular diseases. The present study explored the impact of bilateral sympathetic stellate ganglionectomy on the TGF-β1 pathway in this model. Methods and Results: Male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham (S) group, abdominal aorta-cava fistula (AV) group, and bilateral sympathetic stellate ganglionectomy after abdominal aorta-cava fistula (AD) group. Twelve weeks after the abdominal aorta-cava fistula surgery, the myocardial expressions of norepinephrine (NE) and hydroxyproline were significantly higher, while acetylcholine was downregulated in the AV group compared to the S group; the above changes were partly reversed in the AD group. The myocardial expression of TGF-β1 and activity of Smad2/3 phosphorylation were also upregulated in the AV group compared to the S group, which could be reversed by bilateral sympathetic stellate ganglionectomy. In vitro, the TGF-β1 expression in cultured myocardial fibroblasts and the proliferation of myocardial fibroblasts were significantly increased post-stimulation with NE in a dose-dependent manner, and these effects could be blunted by co-treatment with a TGF-β1 inhibitor. Conclusion: Our study results indicate that stellate ganglionectomy decreases cardiac norepinephrine release, which leads to decreased TGF-β1 release and reduced fibrosis in rats with chronic volume overload.
FMR1 Low Zone CGG Repeats: Phenotypic Associations in the Context of Parenting Stress

The FMR1 gene on the X chromosome has varying numbers of CGG repeats. The modal number is 30, and expansion to >200 results in fragile X syndrome, but the copy number extends down to 6. Past research suggests that individuals whose CGGs are in the “low zone” (LZ; defined here as ≤ 25 CGGs) may be more environmentally-reactive than those with normal range repeats (26–40 CGGs)—a gene x environment interaction. Using a population-based DNA biobank, in our primary analysis we compared 96 mothers with LZ CGG repeats on both alleles to 280 mothers who had CGG repeats in the normal range. Secondarily, we conducted parallel analyses on fathers. We investigated how parents in these two CGG repeat categories differentially responded to stress, defined as parenting a child with disabilities. Significant gene x environment interactions indicated that LZ mothers who had children with disabilities had greater limitations (in executive functioning, depression, anxiety, daily health symptoms, and balance) than LZ mothers whose children did not have disabilities. In contrast, mothers with normal-range CGG repeats did not differ based on stress exposure. For fathers, a similar pattern was evident for one phenotype only (hand tremors). Although on average LZ CGGs are not associated with compromised functioning, the average masks differential response to the environment.