Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Total estimated usual nutrient intake and nutrient status biomarkers in women of childbearing age and women of menopausal age

ABSTRACT Background Women of childbearing age (WCBA) and women of menopausal age (WMENO) have distinct nutritional needs. Understanding nutrient intake and status in these life stages is critical for tailoring dietary recommendations. Objectives The objectives of this study were to evaluate total estimated usual nutrient intakes from food and food plus supplements and to compare these to established recommendations for WCBA and WMENO life stages and examine associations between self-reported estimated usual intakes and nutrient status biomarkers. Methods Twenty-four-hour dietary recall data from 2011–2016 NHANES were used to estimate usual intake of nutrients from food and food plus supplements for WCBA (aged 15–44 y, n = 4,134) and WMENO (aged 40–65 y, n = 3,438). Estimates of mean usual intake were derived and compared across clinically defined nutrient biomarker categories. Results Both young (aged 15–30 y) and older (aged 31–44 y) WCBA had intakes from food below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for calcium (49% and 44%, respectively), magnesium (62%, 44%), and vitamins A (50%, 44%), C (47%, 46%), D (>97%, >97%), and E (92%, 88%). Similarly, perimenopausal (aged 40–50 y) and menopausal (aged 51–65 y) women had intakes from food below the EAR for calcium (48% and 74%, respectively), magnesium (50%, 49%), and vitamins A (44%, 37%), C (44%, 41%), D (>97%, >97%), and E (88%, 86%). Nutrient gaps decreased with supplement usage. For folate, vitamins D and B-12, and DHA, women in the lowest biomarker category (indicating increased risk of deficiency) had significantly lower intake from food (315.2 ± 25.9 compared with 463.8 ± 5.2 µg dietary folate equivalents, 3.5 ± 0.1 compared with 4.2 ± 0.1 µg, 3.6 ± 0.2 compared with 4.3 ± 0.1 µg, and 0.037 ± 0.005 compared with 0.070 ± 0.006 g, respectively; P < 0.01) of the corresponding nutrient compared with the highest biomarker category. Conclusions Substantial percentages of WCBA and WMENO are not meeting recommendations for multiple nutrients, whereas supplement usage partially fills nutrient gaps. Dietary intake was positively associated with most nutrient status biomarkers. Specific guidance is needed to ensure adequate nutrient intakes and nutrient status during these critical life stages.
Updated Review and Meta-Analysis of Probiotics for the Treatment of Clinical Depression: Adjunctive vs. Stand-Alone Treatment

Recent years have seen a rapid increase in the use of gut microbiota-targeting interventions, such as probiotics, for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. The objective of this update review was to evaluate all randomised controlled clinical trial evidence on the efficacy of probiotics for clinical depression. Cochrane guidelines for updated reviews were followed. By searching PubMed and Web of Science databases, we identified 546 new records since our previous review. A total of seven studies met selection criteria, capturing 404 people with depression. A random effects meta-analysis using treatment type (stand-alone vs. adjunctive) as subgroup was performed. The results demonstrated that probiotics are effective in reducing depressive symptoms when administered in addition to antidepressants (SMD = 0.83, 95%CI 0.49–1.17), however, they do not seem to offer significant benefits when used as stand-alone treatment (SMD = −0.02, 95%CI −0.34–0.30). Potential mechanisms of action may be via increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and decreases in C-reactive protein (CRP), although limited evidence is available at present. This review offers stronger evidence to support the clinical use of probiotics in depressed populations and provides an insight into the mode of administration more likely to yield antidepressant effects.
Influence of Environmental Factors on the Genetic and Chemical Diversity of Brickellia veronicifolia Populations Growing in Fragmented Shrublands from Mexico

Brickellia veronicifolia is a native Asteraceae from Mexico that persists in fragmented habitats. This investigation reports the genetic and chemical diversity of B. veronicifolia. The diversity analysis based on iPBS markers showed an averaged Shannon index (S) of 0.3493, a Nei genetic diversity (h) of 0.2256, and a percentage of polymorphic loci average (P) of 80.7867%. The population structure obtained by AMOVA revealed that the highest variation found within populations was 94.58%. GC-MS profiling of six populations indicated that major volatiles were β–caryophyllene (11.63%), spathulenol (12.85%), caryophyllene oxide (13.98%), α–cadinol (7.04%), cubedol (6.72%) and tau-muurolol (4.81%). Mantel tests suggested a statistically significant relationship between minor volatiles and geographical distance (r = 0.6163; p = 0.0470; p ˂ 0.05). Likewise, major volatiles showed a significant correlation with the soil pH (r = 0.6862; p = 0.0230) and maximum temperature (r = 0.4999; p = 0.0280). Our study suggests that the variation and genetic divergence of B. veronicifolia has no relationship with climatic parameters, whereas the volatiles are probably influenced by environmental factors and not by the genotype per se. Based on the characteristics of B. veronicifolia, this plant could be considered as a candidate for restoring fragmented shrublands in Mexico.
Modulation of the dynamics of cerebellar Purkinje cells through the interaction of excitatory and inhibitory feedforward pathways

The dynamics of cerebellar neuronal networks is controlled by the underlying building blocks of neurons and synapses between them. For which, the computation of Purkinje cells (PCs), the only output cells of the cerebellar cortex, is implemented through various types of neural pathways interactively routing excitation and inhibition converged to PCs. Such tuning of excitation and inhibition, coming from the gating of specific pathways as well as short-term plasticity (STP) of the synapses, plays a dominant role in controlling the PC dynamics in terms of firing rate and spike timing. PCs receive cascade feedforward inputs from two major neural pathways: the first one is the feedforward excitatory pathway from granule cells (GCs) to PCs; the second one is the feedforward inhibition pathway from GCs, via molecular layer interneurons (MLIs), to PCs. The GC-PC pathway, together with short-term dynamics of excitatory synapses, has been a focus over past decades, whereas recent experimental evidence shows that MLIs also greatly contribute to controlling PC activity. Therefore, it is expected that the diversity of excitation gated by STP of GC-PC synapses, modulated by strong inhibition from MLI-PC synapses, can promote the computation performed by PCs. However, it remains unclear how these two neural pathways are interacted to modulate PC dynamics. Here using a computational model of PC network installed with these two neural pathways, we addressed this question to investigate the change of PC firing dynamics at the level of single cell and network. We show that the nonlinear characteristics of excitatory STP dynamics can significantly modulate PC spiking dynamics mediated by inhibition. The changes in PC firing rate, firing phase, and temporal spike pattern, are strongly modulated by these two factors in different ways. MLIs mainly contribute to variable delays in the postsynaptic action potentials of PCs while modulated by excitation STP. Notably, the diversity of synchronization and pause response in the PC network is governed not only by the balance of excitation and inhibition, but also by the synaptic STP, depending on input burst patterns. Especially, the pause response shown in the PC network can only emerge with the interaction of both pathways. Together with other recent findings, our results show that the interaction of feedforward pathways of excitation and inhibition, incorporated with synaptic short-term dynamics, can dramatically regulate the PC activities that consequently change the network dynamics of the cerebellar circuit.
A prognostic nomogram for lung adenocarcinoma based on immune-infiltrating Treg-related genes: from bench to bedside

Background Accumulating evidence suggests that lymphocyte infiltration in the tumor microenvironment is positively correlated with tumorigenesis and development, while the role of Tregs (regulatory T cells) has been controversial. Therefore, we attempted to discover the possible value of Tregs for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods The gene-sequencing data of LUAD were applied from three Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets—GSE10072, GSE32863 and GSE43458; the corresponding fractions of tumor-infiltrating immune cells were extracted from the CIBERSORTx portal. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis were conducted to identify the significant module and candidate genes related to Tregs. The role of candidate genes in LUAD was further verified using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Finally, we constructed a nomogram model to predict the prognosis of LUAD by plotting Kaplan-Meier (K-M), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and calibration curves, which elucidated the performance of the nomogram. Results In total, 10,047 genes in 333 samples (196 tumor and 137 normal samples) from the GEO database were included. By WGCNA and PPI analysis, we identified a significant black module and 36 candidate genes related to Treg. Next, the candidate genes were verified using TCGA data by Cox regression analysis to screen 13 hub genes that stratified LUAD patients into low- or high-risk groups. Low-risk patients showed a significantly longer overall survival (OS) than high-risk patients (3-year OS: 70.2% vs. 35.2%; 5-year OS: 36.6% vs. 0; P=1.651E-09), and the areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) showed good (3-year AUC: 0.733; 5-year AUC: 0.777). Next, we constructed a survival nomogram combining the hub genes and clinical parameters; the low-risk patients still showed a favorable prognosis compared with that of the high-risk patients (P=7.073E-13), and the AUCs were better (3-year AUC: 0.763; 5-year AUC: 0.873). Conclusions We revealed the role of immune-infiltrating Treg-related genes in LUAD and constructed a prognostic nomogram, which may help clinicians make optimal therapeutic decisions and help patients obtain better outcomes.
Vertebral Fracture Assessment in postmenopausal women with post-surgical hypoparathyroidism.

CONTEXT Hypoparathyroidism is a rare endocrine disorder whose skeletal features include suppression of bone turnover, greater volume and width of the trabecular compartment. Few and inconsistent data are available on the prevalence of vertebral fractures (VF). OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence of VF assessed by vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) in postmenopausal women with chronic post-surgical hypoparathyroidism. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Ambulatory referral center. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Fifty postmenopausal women (mean age 65.4 ± 9 years) with chronic post-surgical hypoparathyroidism and 40 age-matched healthy postmenopausal women (mean age 64.2 ± 8.6). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip BMD were measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) (Hologic Inc., USA) in all subjects. Site-matched spine TBS was calculated by TBS iNsight (Medimaps, Switzerland). Assessment of VF was made by VFA (iDXA, Lunar GE, USA) using the semiquantitative method and the algorithm-based qualitative assessment. RESULTS All-site BMD values were higher in the hypoparathyroid vs the control group. By VFA, we observed a 16% prevalence of VF in hypoparathyroid women vs 7.5% in control subjects. Among those with hypoparathyroidism who fractured, 5 (62.5%) had grade 1 wedge, 2 (25%) had grade 2 wedge, and 1 (12.5%) grade 2 wedge and grade 2 biconcave VF. In the hypoparathyroid group, among those with VFs, 57% had symptoms of hypoparathyroidism 32% among those without VF. CONCLUSION We demonstrate for the first time that in postmenopausal women with chronic postsurgical hypoparathyroidism, VFs are demonstrable by VFA despite normal BMD.
Endophytic Fungal Community of Huperzia serrata: Diversity and Relevance to the Production of Huperzine A by the Plant Host

As the population ages globally, there seem to be more people with Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, there is currently no specific treatment for the disease. At present, Huperzine A (HupA) is one of the best drugs used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and has been used in clinical trials for several years in China. HupA was first separated from Huperzia serrata, a traditional medicinal herb that is used to cure fever, contusions, strains, hematuria, schizophrenia, and snakebite for several hundreds of years in China, and has been confirmed to have acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity. With the very slow growth of H. serrata, resources are becoming too scarce to meet the need for clinical treatment. Some endophytic fungal strains that produce HupA were isolated from H. serrate in previous studies. In this article, the diversity of the endophytic fungal community within H. serrata was observed and the relevance to the production of HupA by the host plant was further analyzed. A total of 1167 strains were obtained from the leaves of H. serrata followed by the stems (1045) and roots (824). The richness as well as diversity of endophytic fungi within the leaf and stem were higher than in the root. The endophytic fungal community was similar within stems as well as in leaves at all taxonomic levels. The 11 genera (Derxomyces, Lophiostoma, Cyphellophora, Devriesia, Serendipita, Kurtzmanomyces, Mycosphaerella, Conoideocrella, Brevicellicium, Piskurozyma, and Trichomerium) were positively correlated with HupA content. The correlation index of Derxomyces with HupA contents displayed the highest value (CI = 0.92), whereas Trichomerium showed the lowest value (CI = 0.02). Through electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), it was confirmed that the HS7-1 strain could produce HupA and the total alkaloid concentration was 3.7 ug/g. This study will enable us to screen and isolate the strain that can produce HupA and to figure out the correlation between endophytic fungal diversity with HupA content in different plant organs. This can provide new insights into the screening of strains that can produce HupA more effectively.
Mediterranean Diet Maintained Platelet Count within a Healthy Range and Decreased Thrombocytopenia-Related Mortality Risk: A Randomized Controlled Trial

There is little information on the dietary modulation of thrombosis-related risk factors such as platelet count. We aimed to assess the effects of Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) on platelet count and related outcomes in an older population at high cardiovascular risk. In participants of the PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea) study, we assessed whether an intervention with a MedDiet enriched with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, relative to a low-fat control diet, modulated platelet count (n = 4189), the risk of developing thrombocytosis and thrombocytopenia (n = 3086), and the association between these alterations and all-cause mortality (median follow-up time: 3.0 years). Although platelet count increased over time (+0.98·109 units/L·year [95% confidence interval: 0.12; 1.84]), MedDiet interventions moderated this increase, particularly in individuals with near-high baseline count (both MedDiets combined: −3.20·109 units/L·year [−5.81; −0.59]). Thrombocytopenia incidence was lower in the MedDiet interventions (incidence rates: 2.23% in control diet, 0.91% in MedDiets combined; hazard ratio: 0.44 [0.23; 0.83]). Finally, thrombocytopenia was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 4.71 [2.69; 8.24]), but this relationship was attenuated in those allocated to MedDiet (p-interaction = 0.018). In brief, MedDiet maintained platelet counts within a healthy range and attenuated platelet-related mortality in older adults at high cardiovascular risk.
Feeding Algae Meal to Feedlot Lambs with Competent Reticular Groove Reflex Increases Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Meat

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of supplementing marine algae as a source of omega-3 fatty acids (FA) in the diet, mixed in the concentrate or bottle-fed, on intramuscular fat FA composition of lambs with competent reticular groove reflex (RGR). Forty-eight feedlot lambs were distributed in three equal groups: one group did not consume marine algae nor had competent RGR, the second group received a daily dose (2.5%) of algae meal in the concentrate and the last group consumed the same dose of algae meal emulsified in milk replacer and bottle-fed. Marine algae raised the contents of EPA, DPA, and mainly DHA in the intramuscular fat, but the increase was significantly higher when algae meal was administered with a bottle via RGR. This strategy could contribute to improvements in the marketing of lamb meat by optimizing its status as a healthier food.
Yoga an effective strategy for self-management of stress-related problems and wellbeing during COVID19 lockdown: A cross-sectional study

This cross-sectional research aims to study the effect of yoga practice on the illness perception, and wellbeing of healthy adults during 4–10 weeks of lockdown due to COVID19 outbreak. A total of 668 adults (64.7% males, M = 28.12 years, SD = 9.09 years) participated in the online survey. The participants were grouped as; yoga practitioners, other spiritual practitioners, and non-practitioners based on their responses to daily practices that they follow. Yoga practitioners were further examined based on the duration of practice as; long-term, mid-term and beginners. Multivariate analysis indicates that yoga practitioners had significantly lower depression, anxiety, & stress (DASS), and higher general wellbeing (SWGB) as well as higher peace of mind (POMS) than the other two groups. The results further revealed that the yoga practitioners significantly differed in the perception of personal control, illness concern and emotional impact of COVID19. However, there was no significant difference found for the measure of resilience (BRS) in this study. Yoga practitioners also significantly differed in the cognitive reappraisal strategy for regulating their emotions than the other two groups. Interestingly, it was found that beginners -those who had started practicing yoga only during the lockdown period reported no significant difference for general wellbeing and peace of mind when compared to the mid- term practitioner. Evidence supports that yoga was found as an effective self- management strategy to cope with stress, anxiety and depression, and maintain wellbeing during COVID19 lockdown.
Staphylococcus aureus in Agriculture: Lessons in Evolution from a Multispecies Pathogen

Staphylococcus aureus is a formidable bacterial pathogen that is responsible for infections in humans and various species of wild, companion, and agricultural animals. The ability of S. aureus to move between humans and livestock is due to specific characteristics of this bacterium as well as modern agricultural practices. SUMMARY Staphylococcus aureus is a formidable bacterial pathogen that is responsible for infections in humans and various species of wild, companion, and agricultural animals. The ability of S. aureus to move between humans and livestock is due to specific characteristics of this bacterium as well as modern agricultural practices. Pathoadaptive clonal lineages of S. aureus have emerged and caused significant economic losses in the agricultural sector. While humans appear to be a primary reservoir for S. aureus, the continued expansion of the livestock industry, globalization, and ubiquitous use of antibiotics has increased the dissemination of pathoadaptive S. aureus in this environment. This review comprehensively summarizes the available literature on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, genomics, antibiotic resistance (ABR), and clinical manifestations of S. aureus infections in domesticated livestock. The availability of S. aureus whole-genome sequence data has provided insight into the mechanisms of host adaptation and host specificity. Several lineages of S. aureus are specifically adapted to a narrow host range on a short evolutionary time scale. However, on a longer evolutionary time scale, host-specific S. aureus has jumped the species barrier between livestock and humans in both directions several times. S. aureus illustrates how close contact between humans and animals in high-density environments can drive evolution. The use of antibiotics in agriculture also drives the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains, making the possible emergence of human-adapted ABR strains from agricultural practices concerning. Addressing the concerns of ABR S. aureus, without negatively affecting agricultural productivity, is a challenging priority.
Glutamine Synthetase as a Therapeutic Target for Cancer Treatment

The significance of glutamine in cancer metabolism has been extensively studied. Cancer cells consume an excessive amount of glutamine to facilitate rapid proliferation. Thus, glutamine depletion occurs in various cancer types, especially in poorly vascularized cancers. This makes glutamine synthetase (GS), the only enzyme responsible for de novo synthesizing glutamine, essential in cancer metabolism. In cancer, GS exhibits pro-tumoral features by synthesizing glutamine, supporting nucleotide synthesis. Furthermore, GS is highly expressed in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and provides glutamine to cancer cells, allowing cancer cells to maintain sufficient glutamine level for glutamine catabolism. Glutamine catabolism, the opposite reaction of glutamine synthesis by GS, is well known for supporting cancer cell proliferation via contributing biosynthesis of various essential molecules and energy production. Either glutamine anabolism or catabolism has a critical function in cancer metabolism depending on the complex nature and microenvironment of cancers. In this review, we focus on the role of GS in a variety of cancer types and microenvironments and highlight the mechanism of GS at the transcriptional and post-translational levels. Lastly, we discuss the therapeutic implications of targeting GS in cancer.
Hydration of α-Pinene in a Triphasic System Consisting of α-Pinene, Water, and Cs2.5H0.5PW12O40–SiO2Composite

Cs2.5H0. 5PW12O40–SiO2 composite combined with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane exhibited greater activity and selectivity for hydration of α-pinene at 333 K in a triphasic system (α-pinene/water/soli.
Tunable Synthesis of Bismuth Ferrites with Various Morphologies

Bismuth ferrites, a large family that includes sillenite-and perovskite-type compounds, have recently drawn much interest due to their physical properties and technological applications. [1,2] The sillenites, with the general formula Bi 12 MO 20 (M= Ge, Ti, Ga, Fe, Bi, V, etc.), exhibit various properties such as photorefractivity, optical activity, photoconductivity, piezomodulus, and an enhanced velocity of ultrasound wave propagation; these properties have potential applications in electro-optics, acoustics, and piezotechnics. [3,4] More recently, the coexistence of ferroelectricity and magnetic order has been observed in the perovskite bismuth oxides with a non-centrosymmetric structure, such as BiFeO 3 and BiMnO 3 ; hence, they have attracted considerable attention. [5–7] The phenomenon of simultaneous ferroelectric and magnetic order, that is, multiferroic behavior, presents not only opportunities to study fundamental physics but also potential applications in information storage, spintronics, and sensors. [8,9] Some other bismuth ferrites are also important functional materials.