Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lethal Doses of Saponins from Quillaja saponaria for Invasive Slug Arion vulgaris and Non-Target Organism Enchytraeus albidus (Olygochaeta: Enchytraeidae)

Simple Summary The Spanish slug, known by its scientific name Arion vulgaris, causes significant damage to agriculture and private gardens around the world. To control this pest, the use of saponin-rich plant extracts is gaining importance as they exhibit strong molluscicidal activity against gastropods and are safe (as saponin residues) in agriculture products. However, despite their proven safety in food, they still do not have a widespread application due to their liquid form and the absence of more accurate knowledge of their effects on other organisms. In this study we evaluated an extract from the bark of the soap tree Quillaja saponaria on slugs and on the white worms Enchytraeus albidus. It was found that slugs were significantly more sensitive to saponin extract at 2 and −1 °C compared to 15 °C. The lethal effect of saponins was stronger on adult slugs than on juveniles. However, lethal effect on worms was much stronger than on slugs. Overall, our results show that Q. saponaria saponins may be a successful slug control tool, especially during colder periods, but its concentration should be selected according to the age of slugs. However, high toxicity to white worms limits its use as an environmentally benign alternative means of slug control. Abstract The slug, Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon, 1855, is a serious pest in agriculture and private gardens. White worm, Enchytraeus albidus Henle, 1837, is an important model of decomposer organism in the terrestrial ecosystem. Saponins, which are secondary metabolites of plants, have previously been shown to have some molluscicidal effect. We investigated which doses of saponins are lethal to the slug, A. vulgaris, and to the non-target organism, E. albidus. An aqueous solution with different concentrations of saponin extract from the bark of the soap tree, Quillaja saponaria Mol. , was used in repeat treatments. Slugs were tested in filter paper contact tests as they are naturally exposed to soil contact while crawling. Worms were tested in soil contact tests as they live below ground. It was found that lethality of saponins depends on the slug age group and the environmental temperature. The median lethal concentration (LC50, at 15 °C) on adults was 68.5 g/L, and on juveniles, 96.9 g/L. The slugs were significantly more sensitive at 2 and −1 °C compared to 15 °C. The LC50 (at 6 ℃) on E. albidus was 2.7 g/L (or 0.5 g/kg dry weight of soil), far below those in A. vulgaris (at 15 ℃ and lower). The LC50 for worms at -1℃ was also significantly lower than at 6 ℃. Therefore, we can conclude: (1) that Q. saponaria saponins may be a successful slug control tool used during colder times of the year, but its concentration should be selected according to the age group of A. vulgaris; (2) this measure is more toxic than expected to white worms, which limits its use.
Choline Hydrogen Dicarboxylate Ionic Liquids by X-ray Scattering, Vibrational Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics: H-Fumarate and H-Maleate and Their Conformations

We explore the structure of two ionic liquids based on the choline cation and the monoanion of the maleic acid. We consider two isomers of the anion (H-maleate, the cis-isomer and H-fumarate, the trans-isomer) having different physical chemical properties. H-maleate assumes a closed structure and forms a strong intramolecular hydrogen bond whereas H-fumarate has an open structure. X-ray diffraction, infrared and Raman spectroscopy and molecular dynamics have been used to provide a reliable picture of the interactions which characterize the structure of the fluids. All calculations indicate that the choline cation prefers to connect mainly to the carboxylate group through OH⋯O interactions in both the compounds and orient the charged head N(CH3)3+ toward the negative portion of the anion. However, the different structure of the two anions affects the distribution of the ionic components in the fluid. The trans conformation of H-fumarate allows further interactions between anions through COOH and CO2− groups whereas intramolecular hydrogen bonding in H-maleate prevents this association. Our theoretical findings have been validated by comparing them with experimental X-ray data and infrared and Raman spectra.
Ketogenic diet feeding improves aerobic metabolism property in extensor digitorum longus muscle of sedentary male rats

Recent studies of the ketogenic diet, an extremely high-fat diet with extremely low carbohydrates, suggest that it changes the energy metabolism properties of skeletal muscle. However, ketogenic diet effects on muscle metabolic characteristics are diverse and sometimes countervailing. Furthermore, ketogenic diet effects on skeletal muscle performance are unknown. After male Wistar rats (8 weeks of age) were assigned randomly to a control group (CON) and a ketogenic diet group (KD), they were fed for 4 weeks respectively with a control diet (10% fat, 10% protein, 80% carbohydrate) and a ketogenic diet (90% fat, 10% protein, 0% carbohydrate). After the 4-week feeding period, the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle was evaluated ex vivo for twitch force, tetanic force, and fatigue. We also analyzed the myosin heavy chain composition, protein expression of metabolic enzymes and regulatory factors, and citrate synthase activity. No significant difference was found between CON and KD in twitch or tetanic forces or muscle fatigue. However, the KD citrate synthase activity and the protein expression of Sema3A, citrate synthase, succinate dehydrogenase, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4, and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase were significantly higher than those of CON. Moreover, a myosin heavy chain shift occurred from type IIb to IIx in KD. These results demonstrated that the 4-week ketogenic diet improves skeletal muscle aerobic capacity without obstructing muscle contractile function in sedentary male rats and suggest involvement of Sema3A in the myosin heavy chain shift of EDL muscle.
Orcokinin in the central complex of the locust Schistocerca gregaria: Identification of immunostained neurons and colocalization with other neuroactive substances

The central complex is a group of highly interconnected neuropils in the insect brain. It is involved in the control of spatial orientation, based on external compass cues and various internal needs. The functional and neurochemical organization of the central complex has been studied in detail in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. In addition to classical neurotransmitters, immunocytochemistry has provided evidence for a major contribution of neuropeptides to neural signaling within the central complex. To complement these data, we have identified all orcokinin‐immunoreactive neurons in the locust central complex and associated brain areas. About 50 bilateral pairs of neurons innervating all substructures of the central complex exhibit orcokinin immunoreactivity. Among these were about 20 columnar neurons, 33 bilateral pairs of tangential neurons of the central body, and seven pairs of tangential neurons of the protocerebral bridge. In silico transcript analysis suggests the presence of eight different orcokinin‐A type peptides in the desert locust. Double label experiments showed that all orcokinin‐immunostained tangential neurons of the lateral accessory lobe cluster were also immunoreactive for GABA and the GABA‐synthesizing enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase. Two types of tangential neurons of the upper division of the central body were, furthermore, also labeled with an antiserum against Dip‐allatostatin I. No colocalization was found with serotonin immunostaining. The data provide additional insights into the neurochemical organization of the locust central complex and suggest that orcokinin‐peptides of the orcokinin‐A gene act as neuroactive substances at all stages of signal processing in this brain area.
Blood platelet formation at a glance

ABSTRACT The main function of blood platelets is to ensure hemostasis and prevent hemorrhages. The 1011 platelets needed daily are produced in a well-orchestrated process. However, this process is not yet fully understood and in vitro platelet production is still inefficient. Platelets are produced in the bone marrow by megakaryocytes, highly specialized precursor cells that extend cytoplasmic projections called proplatelets (PPTs) through the endothelial barrier of sinusoid vessels. In this Cell Science at a Glance article and the accompanying poster we discuss the mechanisms and pathways involved in megakaryopoiesis and platelet formation processes. We especially address the – still underestimated – role of the microenvironment of the bone marrow, and present recent findings on how PPT extension in vivo differs from that in vitro and entails different mechanisms. Finally, we recapitulate old but recently revisited evidence that – although bone marrow does produce megakaryocytes and PPTs – remodeling and the release of bona fide platelets, mainly occur in the downstream microcirculation. Summary: Blood platelets are produced by megakaryocytes in the bone marrow. Here, we discuss the mechanisms of megakaryocyte differentiation and how bona fide platelets are brought into circulation.
Dysregulation of Endothelin-1: Implications for Health Disparities in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minorities. The racial and ethnic disparities in AD could be explained by differences in cerebral vascular disease pathology. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictive peptide that regulates smooth muscle, endothelial cell, and pericyte contractions that may result in cerebral vascular constriction, leading to cerebral hypoperfusion; over time, ET-1 may result in neuronal injury contributing to the pathology of AD. Upregulation of the ET-1 system has been observed in African Americans when compared with non-Hispanic Whites. The role of the ET-1 system as a driver of ethnic disparities in AD requires further investigation. Targeting of the ET-1 system as a therapeutic intervention that could impact AD progression also needs further study. Dysregulation of ET-1 in Hispanic/Latino populations largely have been unexplored. Genetics linking ET-1 dysregulation and racial disparities in AD also needs further investigation. In this review, I examine how AD effects underserved minority populations and how dysregulation of the ET-1 system specifically predisposes ethnic minorities to AD. In addition, I examine the molecular interactions of the ET-1 system and amyloid beta, the role the ET-1 system in neurodegeneration, potential therapeutics for ET-1 dysregulation, and the impact on AD progression.
Larval development and growth of Red Saddleback Anemonefish, Amphiprion ephippium,(Bloch, 1790) under captive conditions

On the 1stday of hatching, the body of the larva was transparent and all the fins were fused together to form a single fin fold. Hatchlings measured 4.96mm in total length. On the 10thday, all the fins were visible and body colouration had begun to develop, the larvae then measured 7.08 mm in total length. The banding began to appear from the 10th day and on the 15thday, the head and middle band were clearly visible. From the 25th day onwards, the larva measured 9.66 mm in total length. On the 30th day, adult pigmentation had begun to appear in the larva. After the 45thday, the bands started to disappear. By the 160thday, the middle band had completely disappeared. On the 310th day all the bands had disappeared and now the juvenile has transformed into an adult fish.
EFFECT OF IRRIGATION WITH SALINIZED WATER ON GROWTH AND CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF “KALA-MATA” OLIVE CULTIVAR GRAFTED ONTO DIFFERENT OLIVE ROOTSTOCKS

The most important black table olive (Olea europaea L.) “Kalamata” cultivar, grafted onto three different vegetative olive rootstocks[Picual (Pic), Frantoio (Fra) and Koroneiki (Kor) cvs. ] was evaluated with 2-year-old grafted plants grown in sand clay soil, and received concentrations of salt mixture (NaCl, Na2So4, CaCl2, MgSo4 and KCl) making 6000 and 8000 ppm with SAR 12 of salinity level, for two seasons. Morphological and chemical parameters were investigated to determine the relative salinity tolerance of these rootstocks and to define possible reasons for any observed differences in the salt tolerance. However, results indicated that differences in response to salinity among rootstocks were observed primarily in morphological traits. Increasing of salinity level in irrigation water decreased, all of scion height and its rate of increase, leaf area, number of leaves/plant and fresh & dry weight of leaves and roots. But different rootstocks can affect the degree to which these parameters is reduced under salinity, where Kalamata growth on Picual and Frantoio was considerably better than on Koroneiki at 6000 and 8000 ppm treatments. Inversely in untreated grafted plants Kalamata on Kornaki exhibited the best growth vigor, comparing with Kal/Pic or Kal/Fra plants, suggesting that a decrease of scion growth in untreated grafted plants is a salt tolerance quality transmitted by tolerant rootstocks. Salinity significantly decreased leaf chlorophyll (a) and (b) content of all grafted plants, but different content among rootstocks were noted. On the contrary, proline content increased in leaves of all treated plants, however, insignificant difference was noted between rootstocks, yet the interaction between the two factors show that Kalamata on Picual and on Frantoio rootstocks recorded higher values of leaf proline content than Kalamata on Koroneiki rootstock. Leaves and roots Na + and Cl content of treated grafted plants showed an increment but to a different degree, comparing with the untreated (control) plants. There were differences among the grafted plants where Kalamata grafted on Koroneiki (the least tolerant cv.) mostly affected by saline treatment and accumulated the highest content of Na + and Cl in leaves comparing with Kalamata on Picual (the most tolerant cv.) or on Frantoio (the
Optimising Web-Based Computer-Tailored Physical Activity Interventions for Prostate Cancer Survivors: A Randomised Controlled Trial Examining the Impact of Website Architecture on User Engagement

Background: Web-based computer-tailored interventions can assist prostate cancer survivors to become more physically active by providing personally relevant behaviour change support. This study aimed to explore how changing the website architecture (free choice vs. tunnelled) impacted engagement within a physical activity computer-tailored intervention targeting prostate cancer survivors. Methods: On a 2:2:1 ratio, 71 Australian prostate cancer survivors with local or locally advanced disease (mean age: 66.6 years ± 9.66) were randomised into either a free-choice (N = 27), tunnelled (N = 27) or minimal intervention control arm (N =17). The primary outcome was differences in usage of the physical activity self-monitoring and feedback modules between the two intervention arms. Differences in usage of other website components between the two intervention groups were explored as secondary outcomes. Further, secondary outcomes involving comparisons between all study groups (including the control) included usability, personal relevance, and behaviour change. Results: The average number of physical activity self-monitoring and feedback modules accessed was higher in the tunnelled arm (M 2.6 SD 1.3) compared to the free-choice arm (M 1.5 SD 1.4), p = 0.01. However, free-choice participants were significantly more likely to have engaged with the social support (p = 0.008) and habit formation (p = 0.003) ‘once-off’ modules compared to the standard tunnelled arm. There were no other between-group differences found for any other study outcomes. Conclusion: This study indicated that website architecture influences behavioural engagement. Further research is needed to examine the impact of differential usage on mechanisms of action and behaviour change.
Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair: Undervalued by the Relative Value Unit System

Work relative value units (wRVUs) serve as a proxy of surgeon’s effort, technical skill, and time to determine reimbursement. The aim of this study is to determine how accurately wRVUs reflect the work effort of surgeons performing laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair (LIHR) as compared to open repair (OIHR). Within the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, 40 099 patients who underwent LIHR and 99 176 patients who underwent OIHR between 2012 and 2017 were identified. Mean wRVUs, wRVUs per minute, and operative times were compared between 8 groups based on clinical factors (unilateral vs. bilateral; obstructed vs. non-obstructed; primary vs. recurrent; 2 × 2 × 2 = 8). In both aggregate and matched cohorts, wRVUs for LIHR were significantly lower than OIHR in all 8 categories (P < .001). On regression analysis, the mean difference in assigned vs. calculated relative value units (RVUs) was most divergent among unilateral, recurrent, obstructed IHR (3.12 mean RVUs, P < .001). Despite the rising utilization of LIHR, current wRVUs significantly undervalue this technique across all categories and consequently the work of surgeons who perform laparoscopic procedures. This RVU discrepancy in an increasing minimally invasive, value-driven surgical environment calls for more objective criteria to assign RVUs, whereby the value is measured by operative complexity—patient clinical factors and severity of the hernia itself—not solely operative technique.
Stress distribution on different bar materials in implant-retained palatal obturator

Implant-retained custom-milled framework enhances the stability of palatal obturator prostheses. Therefore, to evaluate the mechanical response of implant-retained obturator prostheses with bar-clip attachment and milled bars, in three different materials under two load incidences were simulated. A maxilla model which Type IIb maxillary defect received five external hexagon implants (4.1 x 10 mm). An implant-supported palatal obturator prosthesis was simulated in three different materials: polyetheretherketone (PEEK), titanium (Ti:90%, Al:6%, V:4%) and Co-Cr (Co:60.6%, Cr:31.5%, Mo:6%) alloys. The model was imported into the analysis software and divided into a mesh composed of nodes and tetrahedral elements. Each material was assumed isotropic, elastic and homogeneous and all contacts were considered ideal. The bone was fixed and the load was applied in two different regions for each material: at the palatal face (cingulum area) of the central incisors (100 N magnitude at 45°); and at the occlusal surface of the first left molar (150 N magnitude normal to the surface). The microstrain and von-Mises stress were selected as criteria for analysis. The posterior load showed a higher strain concentration in the posterior peri-implant tissue, near the load application side for cortical and cancellous bone, regardless the simulated material. The anterior load showed a lower strain concentration with reduced magnitude and more implants involving in the load dissipation. The stress peak was calculated during posterior loading, which 77.7 MPa in the prosthetic screws and 2,686 με microstrain in the cortical bone. For bone tissue and bar, the material stiffness was inversely proportional to the calculated microstrain and stress. However, for the prosthetic screws and implants the PEEK showed higher stress concentration than the other materials. PEEK showed a promising behavior for the bone tissue and for the integrity of the bar and bar-clip attachments. However, the stress concentration in the prosthetic screws may represent an increase in failure risk. The use of Co-Cr alloy can reduce the stress in the prosthetic screw; however, it increases the bone strain; while the Titanium showed an intermediate behavior.
Comprehensive screening of genomic and metagenomic data reveals a large diversity of tetracycline resistance genes

Tetracyclines are broad-spectrum antibiotics used to prevent or treat a variety of bacterial infections. Resistance is often mediated through mobile resistance genes, which encode one of the three main mechanisms: active efflux, ribosomal target protection or enzymatic degradation. In the last few decades, a large number of new tetracycline-resistance genes have been discovered in clinical settings. These genes are hypothesized to originate from environmental and commensal bacteria, but the diversity of tetracycline-resistance determinants that have not yet been mobilized into pathogens is unknown. In this study, we aimed to characterize the potential tetracycline resistome by screening genomic and metagenomic data for novel resistance genes. By using probabilistic models, we predicted 1254 unique putative tetracycline resistance genes, representing 195 gene families (<70 % amino acid sequence identity), whereof 164 families had not been described previously. Out of 17 predicted genes selected for experimental verification, 7 induced a resistance phenotype in an Escherichia coli host. Several of the predicted genes were located on mobile genetic elements or in regions that indicated mobility, suggesting that they easily can be shared between bacteria. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis indicated several events of horizontal gene transfer between bacterial phyla. Our results also suggested that acquired efflux pumps originate from proteobacterial species, while ribosomal protection genes have been mobilized from Firmicutes and Actinobacteria . This study significantly expands the knowledge of known and putatively novel tetracycline resistance genes, their mobility and evolutionary history. The study also provides insights into the unknown resistome and genes that may be encountered in clinical settings in the future.
Sources of variation of DNA methylation in rainbow trout: combined effects of temperature and genetic background

ABSTRACT Phenotypic plasticity is a key component of the ability of organisms to respond to changing environmental conditions. In this study, we aimed to study the establishment of DNA methylation marks in response to an environmental stress in rainbow trout and to assess whether these marks depend on the genetic background. The environmental stress chosen here was temperature, a known induction factor of epigenetic marks in fish. To disentangle the role of epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation in generating phenotypic variations, nine rainbow trout isogenic lines with no genetic variability within a line were used. For each line, half of the eggs were incubated at standard temperature (11°C) and the other half at high temperature (16°C), from eyed-stage to hatching. In order to gain a first insight into the establishment of DNA methylation marks in response to an early temperature regime (control 11°C vs. heated 16°C), we have studied the expression of 8 dnmt3 (DNA methyltransferase) genes, potentially involved in de novo methylation, and analysed global DNA methylation in the different rainbow trout isogenic lines using LUMA (LUminometric Methylation Assay). Finally, finer investigation of genome-wide methylation patterns was performed using EpiRADseq, a reduced-representation library approach based on the ddRADseq (Double Digest Restriction Associated DNA) protocol, for six rainbow trout isogenic lines. We have demonstrated that thermal history during embryonic development alters patterns of DNA methylation, but to a greater or lesser extent depending on the genetic background.