Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Magnetic Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Small Extracellular Vesicles Quantification: Application to Colorectal Cancer Biomarker Detection

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer death and the fourth most common cancer in the world. Colonoscopy is the most sensitive test used for detection of CRC; however, their procedure is invasive and expensive for population mass screening. Currently, the fecal occult blood test has been widely used as a screening tool for CRC but displays low specificity. The lack of rapid and simple methods for mass screening makes the early diagnosis and therapy monitoring difficult. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as a novel source of biomarkers due to their contents in proteins and miRNAs. Their detection would not require invasive techniques and could be considered as a liquid biopsy. Specifically, it has been demonstrated that the amount of CD147 expressed in circulating EVs is significant higher for CRC cell lines than for normal colon fibroblast cell lines. Moreover, CD147-containing EVs have been used as a biomarker to monitor response to therapy in patients with CRC. Therefore, this antigen could be used as a non-invasive biomarker for the detection and monitoring of CRC in combination with a Point-of-Care platform as, for example, Lateral Flow Immunoassays (LFIAs). Here, we propose the development of a quantitative lateral flow immunoassay test based on the use of magnetic nanoparticles as labels coupled to inductive sensor for the non-invasive detection of CRC by CD147-positive EVs. The results obtained for quantification of CD147 antigen embedded in EVs isolated from plasma sample have demonstrated that this device could be used as a Point-of-Care tool for CRC screening or therapy monitoring thanks to its rapid response and easy operation.
Metabolic Response of Pancreatic Carcinoma Cells under Treatment with Dichloroacetate

In modern oncology, the analysis and evaluation of treatment response are still challenging. Hence, we used a 13C-guided approach to study the impacts of the small molecule dichloroacetate (DCA) upon the metabolic response of pancreatic cancer cells. Two different oncogenic PI3K-driven pancreatic cancer cell lines, 9580 and 10,158, respectively, were treated with 75 mM DCA for 18 h. In the presence of [U-13C6]glucose, the effects of DCA treatment in the core carbon metabolism were analyzed in these cells using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). 13C-enrichments and isotopologue profiles of key amino acids revealed considerable effects of the DCA treatment upon glucose metabolism. The DCA treatment of the two pancreatic cell lines resulted in a significantly decreased incorporation of [U-13C6]glucose into the amino acids alanine, aspartate, glutamate, glycine, proline and serine in treated, but not in untreated, cancer cells. For both cell lines, the data indicated some activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase with increased carbon flux via the TCA cycle, but also massive inhibition of glycolytic flux and amino acid biosynthesis presumably by inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTORC axis. Together, it appears worthwhile to study the early treatment response in DCA-guided or accompanied cancer therapy in more detail, since it could open new avenues for improved diagnosis and therapeutic protocols of cancer.
Nuclear Imaging for the Diagnosis of Cardiac Amyloidosis in 2021

Cardiac amyloidosis is caused by the deposition of misfolded protein fibrils into the extracellular space of the heart. The diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis remains challenging because of the heterogeneous manifestations of the disease. There are many different types of amyloidosis with light-chain (AL) amyloidosis and transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis being the most common types of cardiac amyloidosis. Endomyocardial biopsy is considered the gold standard for diagnosing cardiac amyloidosis and differentiating amyloid subtypes, but its use is limited because of the invasive nature of the procedure, with risks for complications and the need for specialized training and centers to perform the procedure. Radionuclide cardiac imaging has recently become the most commonly performed test for the diagnosis of ATTR amyloidosis but is of limited value for the diagnosis of AL amyloidosis. Positron emission tomography has been increasingly used for the diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis and its applications are expected to expand in the future. Imaging protocols are under refinement to achieve better quantification of the disease burden and prediction of prognosis.
Synthesis and characterization of novel soybean-oil-based elastomers with favorable processability and tunable properties

A new series of soybean-oil-based elastomers poly(epoxidized soybean oil-co-decamethylene diamine) (PESD) was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization from epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) and decamethylene diamine (DDA) in different molar ratios. The effect of the molar ratio on the structure and properties of PESD was identified by various methods. According to the results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and thermogravimetry (TGA), the glycerol center of ESO was broken by ammonolysis as expected in the process of polymerization, which resulted in un-cross-linked elastomers with low glass transition temperatures (Tg) ranging from −30 to −17 °C. PESD-3 (molar ratio of DDA to ESO is 2:1) was found to have the highest molecular weight and was most suitable for further processing. Then, PESD-3 was successfully cross-linked through succinic anhydride by a general rubber processing method to obtain a cross-linked bioelastomer. The mechanism of chain growth, .
Molecular Mechanisms of PD-1 and PD-L1 Activity on a Pan-Cancer Basis: A Bioinformatic Exploratory Study

Immune checkpoint blockade targeting PD-1 (PDCD1)/PD-L1 (CD274) is increasingly used for multiple cancers. However, efficacy and adverse-related events vary significantly. This bioinformatic study interrogated molecular differences pertaining to PDCD1/CD274 and their correlated genes on a pan-cancer basis to identify differences between cancer types. Patient RNA-seq data from fifteen cancer types were accessed on cBioPortal to determine the role of PDCD1/CD274 in patient survival and to identify positively and negatively correlated genes, which were also assessed for clinical relevance. Genes correlating with PDCD1/CD274 across multiple cancers were taken forward for drug repurposing via DRUGSURV and microRNA analysis using miRDB and miRabel. MicroRNAs were also screened for clinical relevance using OncomiR. Forty genes were consistently correlated with PDCD1/CD274 across multiple cancers, with the cancers themselves exhibiting a differential role for the correlated genes in terms of patient survival. Esophageal and renal cancers in particular stood out in this regard as having a unique survival profile. Forty-nine putative microRNAs were identified as being linked to the PDCD1/CD274 network, which were taken forward and further assessed for clinical relevance using OncomiR and previously published literature. One hundred and thirty significant survival associations for 46 microRNAs across fourteen groups of cancers were identified. Finally, a total of 23 putative repurposed drugs targeting multiple components of the PDCD1/CD274 network were identified, which may represent immunotherapeutic adjuvants. Taken together, these results shed light on the varying PDCD1/CD274 networks between individual cancers and signpost a need for more cancer-specific investigations and treatments.
Interfacial Binding Energy between Calcium-Silicate-Hydrates and Epoxy Resin: A Molecular Dynamics Study

Microcapsules encapsulated within epoxy as a curing agent have been successfully applied in self-healing materials, in which the healing performance significantly depends on the binding behaviour of the epoxy curing agent with the cement matrix. In this paper, the binding energy was investigated by molecular dynamics simulation, which could overcome the shortcomings of traditional microscopic experimental methods. In addition to the construction of different molecular models of epoxy, curing agents, and dilutants, seven models were established to investigate the effects of chain length, curing agent, and epoxy resin chain direction on the interfacial binding energy. The results showed that an increase of chain length exhibited had limited effect on the binding energy, while the curing agent and the direction of the epoxy significantly affected the interfacial binding energy. Among different factors, the curing agent tetrethylenepentamine exhibited the highest value of interfacial binding energy by an increment of 31.03 kcal/mol, indicating a better binding ability of the microcapsule core and the cement matrix. This study provides a microscopic insight into the interface behaviour between the microcapsule core and the cement matrix.
Quantification of Volatile Aldehydes Deriving from In Vitro Lipid Peroxidation in the Breath of Ventilated Patients

Exhaled aliphatic aldehydes were proposed as non-invasive biomarkers to detect increased lipid peroxidation in various diseases. As a prelude to clinical application of the multicapillary column–ion mobility spectrometry for the evaluation of aldehyde exhalation, we, therefore: (1) identified the most abundant volatile aliphatic aldehydes originating from in vitro oxidation of various polyunsaturated fatty acids; (2) evaluated emittance of aldehydes from plastic parts of the breathing circuit; (3) conducted a pilot study for in vivo quantification of exhaled aldehydes in mechanically ventilated patients. Pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, and nonanal were quantifiable in the headspace of oxidizing polyunsaturated fatty acids, with pentanal and hexanal predominating. Plastic parts of the breathing circuit emitted hexanal, octanal, nonanal, and decanal, whereby nonanal and decanal were ubiquitous and pentanal or heptanal not being detected. Only pentanal was quantifiable in breath of mechanically ventilated surgical patients with a mean exhaled concentration of 13 ± 5 ppb. An explorative analysis suggested that pentanal exhalation is associated with mechanical power—a measure for the invasiveness of mechanical ventilation. In conclusion, exhaled pentanal is a promising non-invasive biomarker for lipid peroxidation inducing pathologies, and should be evaluated in future clinical studies, particularly for detection of lung injury.
Phenolic Compounds Profile and Antioxidant Capacity of Pitahaya Fruit Peel from Two Red-Skinned Species (Hylocereus polyrhizus and Hylocereus undatus)

Pitahaya peel is a good source of bioactive polyphenols. However, the bound phenolics and their antioxidant activity remain unclear. The bound phenolics of pitahaya peel from two red-skinned species with red pulp (RP) and white pulp (WP) were released with different methods (acid, base, and composite enzymes hydrolysis). The results revealed that base hydrolysis was the most efficient method for releasing the bound phenolics from RP (11.6 mg GAE/g DW) and WP (10.5 mg GAE/g DW), which was 13.04-fold and 8.18-fold for RP and 75.07-fold and 10.94-fold for WP compared with acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis, respectively. A total of 37 phenolic compounds were identified by UPLC-TOF/MS with most chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid in RP, whereas chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, rutin and isoquercitrin were the main compounds in WP. Regardless of the hydrolysis method, the extracts having the highest phenolic content showed the strongest antioxidant activities. The work shows that hydrolysis methods have a significant effect on the release of phenolics, and the contents of major characteristic bound phenolic compounds are related to the ecological type of pitahaya.
Speed, Change of Direction Speed and Reactive Agility in Adolescent Soccer Players: Age Related Differences

There are a plethora of studies investigating agility in soccer; however, studies have rarely presented the reaction time in differentiating age groups in adolescent soccer players. We investigated age differences in reactive agility, speed, and change of direction speed (CODs), in a group of highly trained adolescent soccer players. A total of 75 adolescent male soccer players (aged 14–19 years) were recruited. The players were grouped based on their age to under 15 (U15; n = 27), under 17 (U17; n = 25), and under 19 (U19; n = 23) players. Players were tested for 5 m, 10 m, and 20 m sprint, CODs speed test, Illinois test, and reactive agility test (total and reaction time). Only the reactive agility test with a live tester (RAT live) and RAT live reaction time (RAT live RT) distinguished U19 from both groups, U17 (RAT live, p < 0.01; RAT RT live, p < 0.01) and U15 (RAT live, p < 0.01; RAT RT live, p < 0.01). Groups did not have different times for 5 m sprint, RAT light and RAT RT light, F = 0.472, 2.691, 1.023, respectively, p > 0.05. Moreover, a significantly slower average performance of sprint 20, CODs left and right, and Illinois was also observed in U15 as compared to U17 and U19 (p < 0.05). We can conclude that results in agility tests that include live testers can be a significant factor that differentiates between adolescent soccer players considering their age.
Small RNA-Sequencing: Approaches and Considerations for miRNA Analysis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small RNA molecules that have an important regulatory role in multiple physiological and pathological processes. Their disease-specific profiles and presence in biofluids are properties that enable miRNAs to be employed as non-invasive biomarkers. In the past decades, several methods have been developed for miRNA analysis, including small RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Small RNA-seq enables genome-wide profiling and analysis of known, as well as novel, miRNA variants. Moreover, its high sensitivity allows for profiling of low input samples such as liquid biopsies, which have now found applications in diagnostics and prognostics. Still, due to technical bias and the limited ability to capture the true miRNA representation, its potential remains unfulfilled. The introduction of many new small RNA-seq approaches that tried to minimize this bias, has led to the existence of the many small RNA-seq protocols seen today. Here, we review all current approaches to cDNA library construction used during the small RNA-seq workflow, with particular focus on their implementation in commercially available protocols. We provide an overview of each protocol and discuss their applicability. We also review recent benchmarking studies comparing each protocol’s performance and summarize the major conclusions that can be gathered from their usage. The result documents variable performance of the protocols and highlights their different applications in miRNA research. Taken together, our review provides a comprehensive overview of all the current small RNA-seq approaches, summarizes their strengths and weaknesses, and provides guidelines for their applications in miRNA research.
Applying adherent DBT Principles to treatment in a partial hospital setting: An analysis over 5-years of outcomes from intake to discharge.

OBJECTIVES A small number of studies to date have examined Partial Hospital (PH) that utilize a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) model. Preliminary findings suggest DBT PH programs can be effective in various symptom reduction. METHODS This study examined clinically relevant outcomes and included a heterogeneous clinical sample over a five-year period. Specifically, the present study assessed pre-post data to examine changes in symptoms of depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and overall degree of suffering from intake to discharge in a DBT PH. RESULTS Findings showed symptom reduction from intake to discharge for depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and suffering for all 5 years. This DBT PH program was successful at reducing various symptoms in a sample of psychiatric patients. CONCLUSION Clinicians might consider the advantages of placing patients in PH programs versus an inpatient stay or consider utilizing DBT-informed PH programs after an inpatient hospitalization as a form of step-down care.
Resection Margins in Head and Neck Cancer Surgery: An Update of Residual Disease and Field Cancerization

Simple Summary Curative treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is largely dependent on locoregional control of the disease. However, HNSCCs frequently recur, and even after surgery with histologically tumor-free surgical margins, tumors may relapse in approximately 10–30% of patients. The development of local relapse despite the fact that surgical margins were tumor-free relates to two independent pathobiological mechanisms: minimal residual disease and field cancerization. Here, we outline the cellular and biological background of local relapse that resulted in a most recently reported clinical trial. We further discuss directions that may improve treatment results in the future. Abstract Surgery is one of the mainstays of head and neck cancer treatment, and aims at radical resection of the tumor with 1 cm tumor-free margins to obtain locoregional control. Surgical margins are evaluated by histopathological examination of the resection specimen. It has been long an enigma that approximately 10–30% of surgically treated head and neck cancer patients develop locoregional recurrences even though the resection margins were microscopically tumor-free. However, the origins of these recurrences have been elucidated by a variety of molecular studies. Recurrences arise either from minimal residual disease, cancer cells in the surgical margins that escape detection by the pathologist when examining the specimen, or from precancerous mucosal changes that may remain unnoticed. Head and neck tumors develop in mucosal precursor changes that are sometimes visible but mostly not, fueling research into imaging modalities such as autofluorescence, to improve visualization. Mostly unnoticed, these precancerous changes may stay behind when the tumor is resected, and subsequent malignant progression will cause a local relapse. This led to a clinical trial of autofluorescence-guided surgery, of which the results were reported in 2020. This review focuses on the most recent literature of the improved diagnosis of the resection margins of surgically treated head and neck cancer patients, the pathobiological origin of recurrent disease, and relevant biomarkers to predict local relapse. Directions for further research will be discussed, including potential options for improved and personalized treatment, based on the most recently published data.
A Comparative Analysis of Risky Sexual Behaviors, Self-Reported Sexually Transmitted Infections, Knowledge of Symptoms and Partner Notification Practices among Male and Female University Students in Pretoria, South Africa

The surge of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young people is of public health importance, and the notification and treatment of sex partners after the diagnosis of an STI is a public health approach to prevent and reduce further transmissions. There are limited studies that investigate partner notification among young people in general, and university students in South Africa in particular. We investigated self-reported STIs and partner notification practice, intentions, and preferences among university students. We also assessed their STI knowledge and risky sexual behaviour in relation to STIs. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey that used multistage sampling to select 918 students across the five schools of a health sciences university in South Africa. Descriptive statistics and bivariate logistic analysis were performed using Stata IC version 16. More males (54.1%) than females were currently in a sexual relationship (47.3%), more males reported multiple sexual partners (n = 114, 46%), engaged in transactional sex (n = 13, 5.3%), and had one-night stands (n = 68, 28.1%) in the past 12 months (p = 0.001). Moreover, half (55.9%) had poor knowledge of STIs with an overall mean knowledge score of 2.9 ± 2.0, and the majority (85.8%) perceived themselves to be at low risk of acquiring STIs. The odds of intentions to disclose an STI infection to a sexual partner and delivering a partner notification slip to ex-sexual partners were not statistically significant (p = 0.95; p = 0.10), with the likelihood of disclosure being 1.3 times for female students compared to males. Female students were 1.5 times as likely to prefer a doctor to send an SMS notification to their sexual partners (p = 0.02) compared to their male counterparts, while the preference of an SMS notification was 41% (p = 0.03) among female students. Students engaged in risky behaviours but had a low perception of the risks of acquiring STIs. Although they had preferences of different methods of partner notification, both male and female students preferred SMS partner notifications from a doctor, even though women were in the majority. Health care providers should put in place interventions so that young people can safely inform their partners about STIs.
An Emergent Form of Cardiotoxicity: Acute Myocarditis Induced by Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are monoclonal antibodies that activate the immune system, aiming at enhancing antitumor immunity. ICIs have shown great promise in the treatment of several advanced malignancies. However, therapy with these immunomodulatory antibodies may lead to a wide spectrum of immune-related adverse events in any organ and any tissue. Cardiologic immune-related events include pericarditis, pericardial effusion, various types of arrhythmias including the occurrence of complete atrioventricular block, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and myocarditis. Although relatively rare, myocarditis is associated with a very high reported mortality in comparison to other adverse events. Myocarditis often presents significant diagnostic complexity and may be under-recognized. When confronted with an unexpected change in the clinical picture, the physician must differentiate between immune-related adverse events, cancer worsening, or other causes unrelated to the cancer or its therapy. However, this is not always easy. Therefore, with the increasing use of checkpoint inhibitors in cancer, all providers who care for patients with cancer should be made aware of this rare, but potentially fatal, cardiologic immune-related adverse event, and able to recognize when prompt consultation with a cardiologist specialist is indicated. In this review, we evaluate currently available scientific evidence and discuss clinical manifestations and new potential approaches to the diagnosis and therapy of acute myocarditis induced by ICIs. Temporary or permanent discontinuation of the ICIs and high-dose steroids have been administered to treat myocarditis, but symptoms may worsen in some patients despite therapy.