Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Elevated Procalcitonin Is Positively Associated with the Severity of COVID-19: A Meta-Analysis Based on 10 Cohort Studies

Background and Objectives: Procalcitonin (PCT) is positively associated with the severity of COVID-19 (including severe, critical, or fatal outcomes), but some of the confounding factors are not considered. The aim of this meta-analysis was to estimate the adjusted relationship between elevated procalcitonin on admission and the severity of COVID-19. Materials and Methods: We searched 1805 articles from PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases up to 2 April 2021. The articles were selected which reported the adjusted relationship applying multivariate analysis between PCT and the severity of COVID-19. The pooled effect estimate was calculated by the random-effects model. Results: The meta-analysis included 10 cohort studies with a total of 7716 patients. Patients with elevated procalcitonin on admission were at a higher risk of severe and critical COVID-19 (pooled effect estimate: 1.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38–2.29; I2 = 85.6%, p < 0.001). Similar results were also observed in dead patients (pooled effect estimate: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.36–2.30). After adjusting for diabetes, the positive association between PCT and the severity of COVID-19 decreased. Subgroup analysis revealed heterogeneity between studies and sensitivity analysis showed that the results were robust. There was no evidence of publication bias by Egger’s test (p = 0.106). Conclusions: Higher procalcitonin is positively associated with the severity of COVID-19, which is a potential biomarker to evaluate the severity of COVID-19 and predict the prognosis.
Mechanical and Microstructural Characterisation of Cooling Pipes for the Compact Muon Solenoid Experiment at CERN

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) is a particle physics experiment situated on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, Switzerland. The CMS upgrade (planned for 2025) involves installing a new advanced sensor system within the CMS tracker, the centre of the detector closest to the particle collisions. The increased heat load associated with these sensors has required the design of an enhanced cooling system that exploits the latent heat of 40 bar CO2. In order to minimise interaction with the incident radiation and improve the detector performance, the cooling pipes within this system need to be thin-walled (~100 μm) and strong enough to withstand these pressures. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the microstructure and mechanical properties of thin-walled cooling pipes currently in use in existing detectors to assess their potential for the tracker upgrade. In total, 22 different pipes were examined, which were composed of CuNi, SS316L, and Ti and were coated with Ni, Cu, and Au. The samples were characterised using computer tomography for 3D structural assessment, focused ion beam ring-core milling for microscale residual stress analysis, optical profilometry for surface roughness, optical microscopy for grain size analysis, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for elemental analysis. Overall, this examination demonstrated that the Ni- and Cu-coated SS316L tubing was optimal due to a combination of low residual stress (20 MPa axial and 5 MPa hoop absolute), low coating roughness (0.4 μm Ra), minimal elemental diffusion, and a small void fraction (1.4%). This result offers a crucial starting point for the ongoing thin-walled pipe selection, development, and pipe-joining research required for the CMS tracker upgrade, as well as the widespread use of CO2 cooling systems in general.
The Effect of Religious Dietary Cultures on Food Nitrogen and Phosphorus Footprints: A Case Study of India

The excessive consumption of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), two vital nutrients for living organisms, is associated with negative environmental and health impacts. While food production contributes to a large amount of N and P loss to the environment, very little N and P is consumed as food. Food habits are affected by multiple regulations, including the dietary restrictions and dictates of various religions. In this study, religion-sensitive N-Calculator and P-Calculator approaches were used to determine the impact of religious dietary culture on the food N and P footprints of India in the major religious communities. Using 2013 data, the food N footprint of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Buddhists was 10.70, 11.45, 11.47, and 7.39 kg-N capita−1 year−1 (10.82 kg-N capita−1 year−1 was the national average), and the food P footprint was 1.46, 1.58, 1.04. and 1.58 kg-P capita−1 year−1 (1.48 kg-P capita−1 year−1 was the national average). The findings highlight the impact of individual choice on the N and P food footprints, and the importance of encouraging the followers of religion to follow a diet consistent with the food culture of that religion. The results of this study are a clear indication of the requirement for religion-sensitive analyses in the collecting of data pertinent to a particular country for use in making government policies designed to improve the recycling of food waste and the treatment of wastewater.
Optimization of Natural Antioxidants Extraction from Pineapple Peel and Their Stabilization by Spray Drying

Pineapple peel still contains an important amount of phenolic compounds and vitamins with valuable antioxidant activity. In this way, the aim of this study was the recovery of the bioactive compounds from pineapple peel using environmentally friendly and low-cost techniques, envisaging their application in food products. From the solid-liquid extraction conditions tested, the one delivering an extract with higher total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity was a single extraction step with a solvent-pineapple peel ratio of 1:1 (w/w) for 25 min at ambient temperature, using ethanol-water (80–20%) as a solvent. The resulting extract revealed a total phenolic content value of 11.10 ± 0.01 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry extract, antioxidant activity of 91.79 ± 1.98 µmol Trolox/g dry extract by the DPPH method, and 174.50 ± 9.98 µmol Trolox/g dry extract by the FRAP method. The antioxidant rich extract was subjected to stabilization by the spray drying process at 150 °C of inlet air temperature using maltodextrin (5% w/w) as an encapsulating agent. The results showed that the antioxidant capacity of the encapsulated compounds was maintained after encapsulation. The loaded microparticles obtained, which consist of a bioactive powder, present a great potential to be incorporated in food products or to produce bioactive packaging systems.
Effects of C60 Fullerene on Thioacetamide-Induced Rat Liver Toxicity and Gut Microbiome Changes

Thioacetamide (TAA) is widely used to study liver toxicity accompanied by oxidative stress, inflammation, cell necrosis, fibrosis, cholestasis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. As an efficient free radical’s scavenger, C60 fullerene is considered a potential liver-protective agent in chemically-induced liver injury. In the present work, we examined the hepatoprotective effects of two C60 doses dissolved in virgin olive oil against TAA-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. We showed that TAA-induced increase in liver oxidative stress, judged by the changes in the activities of SOD, CAT, GPx, GR, GST, the content of GSH and 4-HNE, and expression of HO-1, MnSOD, and CuZnSOD, was more effectively ameliorated with a lower C60 dose. Improvement in liver antioxidative status caused by C60 was accompanied by a decrease in liver HMGB1 expression and an increase in nuclear Nrf2/NF-κB p65 ratio, suggesting a reduction in inflammation, necrosis and fibrosis. These results were in accordance with liver histology analysis, liver comet assay, and changes in serum levels of ALT, AST, and AP. The changes observed in gut microbiome support detrimental effects of TAA and hepatoprotective effects of low C60 dose. Less protective effects of a higher C60 dose could be a consequence of its enhanced aggregation and related pro-oxidant role.
The Protection of Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermented-Mango Peel against Neuronal Damage Induced by Amyloid-Beta

Mango peels are usually discarded as waste; however, they contain phytochemicals and could provide functional properties to food and promote human health. This study aimed to determine the optimal lactic acid bacteria for fermentation of mango peel and evaluate the effect of mango peel on neuronal protection in Neuron-2A cells against amyloid beta (Aβ) treatment (50 μM). Mango peel can be fermented by different lactic acid bacteria species. Lactobacillus acidophilus (BCRC14079)-fermented mango peel produced the highest concentration of lactic acid bacteria (exceeding 108 CFU/mL). Mango peel and fermented mango peel extracts upregulated brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression for 1.74-fold in Neuron-2A cells. Furthermore, mango peel fermented products attenuated oxidative stress in Aβ-treated neural cells by 27%. Extracts of L. acidophilus (BCRC14079)-fermented mango peel treatment decreased Aβ accumulation and attenuated the increase of subG1 caused by Aβ induction in Neuron-2A cells. In conclusion, L. acidophilus (BCRC14079)-fermented mango peel acts as a novel neuronal protective product by inhibiting oxidative stress and increasing BDNF expression in neural cells.
Reducing Lung ATP Levels and Alleviating Asthmatic Airway Inflammation through Adeno-Associated Viral Vector-Mediated CD39 Expression

Asthma is a chronic respiratory inflammatory disease. Patients usually suffer long-term symptoms and high medical expenses. Extracellular ATP (eATP) has been identified as a danger signal in innate immunity and serves as a potent inflammatory mediator for asthma. Hydrolyzing eATP in lungs might be a potential approach to alleviate asthmatic inflammation. Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors that contain tissue-specific cap protein have been demonstrated to efficiently transfer exogenous genes into the lung tissues. To test anti-inflammation efficacy of rAAV-mediated CD39 gene transfer, rAAV-CD39 was generated and applied to OVA-mediated asthmatic mice. BALB/c mice were sensitized intraperitoneally and challenged intratracheally with OVA and treated with rAAV-CD39. At the end of procedure, some inflammatory features were examined. rAAV-CD39 treatment downregulated the levels of pulmonary eATP by the rescued expression of CD39. Several asthmatic features, such as airway hyperresponsiveness, eosinophilia, mucin deposition, and IL-5/IL-13 production in the lungs were decreased in the rAAV-CD39-treated mice. Reduced IL-5/IL-13 production and increased frequency of CD4+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells were detected in draining lymph nodes of rAAV-CD39 treated mice. This evidence suggested that rAAV-mediated CD39 gene transfer attenuated the asthmatic airway inflammation locally. The results suggest that rAAV-CD39 might have therapeutic potential for asthma.
Metabolite Profiling in Arabidopsis thaliana with Moderately Impaired Photorespiration Reveals Novel Metabolic Links and Compensatory Mechanisms of Photorespiration

Photorespiration is an integral component of plant primary metabolism. Accordingly, it has been often observed that impairing the photorespiratory flux negatively impacts other cellular processes. In this study, the metabolic acclimation of the Arabidopsis thaliana wild type was compared with the hydroxypyruvate reductase 1 (HPR1; hpr1) mutant, displaying only a moderately reduced photorespiratory flux. Plants were analyzed during development and under varying photoperiods with a combination of non-targeted and targeted metabolome analysis, as well as 13C- and 14C-labeling approaches. The results showed that HPR1 deficiency is more critical for photorespiration during the vegetative compared to the regenerative growth phase. A shorter photoperiod seems to slowdown the photorespiratory metabolite conversion mostly at the glycerate kinase and glycine decarboxylase steps compared to long days. It is demonstrated that even a moderate impairment of photorespiration severely reduces the leaf-carbohydrate status and impacts on sulfur metabolism. Isotope labeling approaches revealed an increased CO2 release from hpr1 leaves, most likely occurring from enhanced non-enzymatic 3-hydroxypyruvate decarboxylation and a higher flux from serine towards ethanolamine through serine decarboxylase. Collectively, the study provides evidence that the moderate hpr1 mutant is an excellent tool to unravel the underlying mechanisms governing the regulation of metabolic linkages of photorespiration with plant primary metabolism.
Dihydroartemisinin Inhibits mTORC1 Signaling by Activating the AMPK Pathway in Rhabdomyosarcoma Tumor Cells

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), an anti-malarial drug, has been shown to possess potent anticancer activity, partly by inhibiting the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling. However, how DHA inhibits mTORC1 is still unknown. Here, using rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) as a model, we found that DHA reduced cell proliferation and viability in RMS cells, but not those in normal cells, which was associated with inhibition of mTORC1. Mechanistically, DHA did not bind to mTOR or FK506 binding protein 12 (FKBP12). In addition, DHA neither inhibited insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase ½ (Erk1/2), nor activated phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in the cells. Rather, DHA activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Pharmacological inhibition of AMPK, ectopic expression dominant negative or kinase-dead AMPK, or knockdown of AMPKα attenuated the inhibitory effect of DHA on mTORC1 in the cells. Additionally, DHA was able to induce dissociation of regulatory-associated protein of mTOR (raptor) from mTOR and inhibit mTORC1 activity. Moreover, treatment with artesunate, a prodrug of DHA, dose-dependently inhibited tumor growth and concurrently activated AMPK and suppressed mTORC1 in RMS xenografts. The results indicated that DHA inhibits mTORC1 by activating AMPK in tumor cells. Our finding supports that DHA or artesunate has a great potential to be repositioned for treatment of RMS.
Genetic Improvement in Sunflower Breeding—Integrated Omics Approach

Foresight in climate change and the challenges ahead requires a systematic approach to sunflower breeding that will encompass all available technologies. There is a great scarcity of desirable genetic variation, which is in fact undiscovered because it has not been sufficiently researched as detection and designing favorable genetic variation largely depends on thorough genome sequencing through broad and deep resequencing. Basic exploration of genomes is insufficient to find insight about important physiological and molecular mechanisms unique to crops. That is why integrating information from genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and phenomics enables a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms in the background of architecture of many important quantitative traits. Omics technologies offer novel possibilities for deciphering the complex pathways and molecular profiling through the level of systems biology and can provide important answers that can be utilized for more efficient breeding of sunflower. In this review, we present omics profiling approaches in order to address their possibilities and usefulness as a potential breeding tools in sunflower genetic improvement.
Investigation of Mechanical and Hydrologic Characteristics of Porous Asphalt Pavement with a Geocell Composite

Porous asphalt pavement is a part of the permeable pavement system, which can be used to mitigate the negative impacts of urbanisation on the water hydrological cycle and environment. This study aims to assess the mechanical and hydrologic characteristics of porous asphalt pavements, with and without geocell composites, using a plate load test, falling weight deflectometer test, and rainfall simulation test. The corresponding results indicate that the elastic modulus of the unreinforced pavement is lower than that of the reinforced pavement. The analysis demonstrates that the use of geocell composites effectively increases the load-bearing capacity of the pavement. When the base layer is reinforced with geocells, its load-bearing capacity increases. Observation of the rainfall simulation tests on the reinforced pavement indicates that the reinforced pavement effectively handles the surface runoff.
Association of Antimicrobial Resistance in Campylobacter spp. in Broilers and Turkeys with Antimicrobial Use

We investigated trends in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in poultry between 2010 and 2016 in Germany and their association with antimicrobial use. Campylobacter had been isolated from the caeca of broilers and turkeys at slaughter by regional laboratories according to current ISO methods in the framework of a national monitoring program. Isolates were submitted to the National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter and tested for AMR using broth microdilution methods. Minimum inhibitory concentrations were evaluated according to epidemiological cut-off values. Antimicrobial use (AMU) data from 2014 to 2016 were taken from a government report. AMR was higher in C. coli than in C. jejuni and higher in turkeys than in broilers. AMR was highest to tetracycline and the tested (fluoro)quinolones while it was rare to gentamicin in both bacterial species, infrequent to erythromycin in C. jejuni, and moderate in C. coli. AMR to tetracycline and erythromycin decreased over time while it increased to (fluoro)quinolones. An association of AMU and AMR was observed for resistance to tetracycline and erythromycin, while it was not observed for the aminoglycosides. Resistance to nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin increased despite a decrease of fluoroquinolone use between 2014 and 2016, indicating that other factors have a strong influence on resistance to (fluoro)quinolones in Campylobacter.
Benznidazole Treatment: Time- and Dose-Dependence Varies with the Trypanosoma cruzi Strain

As the development of new drugs for Chagas disease is not a priority due to its neglected disease status, an option for increasing treatment adherence is to explore alternative treatment regimens, which may decrease the incidence of side effects. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy of different therapeutic schemes with benznidazole (BNZ) on the acute and chronic phases of the disease, using mice infected with strains that have different BNZ susceptibilities. Our results show that the groups of animals infected by VL-10 strain, when treated in the chronic phase with a lower dose of BNZ for a longer period of time (40 mg/kg/day for 40 days) presented better treatment efficacy than with the standard protocol (100 mg/kg/day for 20 days) although the best result in the treatment of the animals infected by the VL-10 strain was with100 mg/kg/day for 40 days. In the acute infection by the Y and VL-10 strains of T. cruzi, the treatment with a standard dose, but with a longer time of treatment (100 mg/kg/day for 40 days) presented the best results. Given these data, our results indicate that for BNZ, the theory of dose and time proportionality does not apply to the phases of infection.
Serological Evidence of Exposure to Spotted Fever Group and Typhus Group Rickettsiae in Australian Wildlife Rehabilitators

Rickettsioses are arthropod-borne zoonotic diseases, several of which occur in Australia. This study aimed to assess the exposure levels and risk factors for Rickettsia spp. among Australian wildlife rehabilitators (AWRs) using serology, PCR and a questionnaire. Antibody titres against Spotted Fever Group (SFG), Typhus Group (TG) and Scrub Typhus Group (STG) antigens were determined using an immunofluorescence assay. PCR targeting the gltA gene was performed on DNA extracts from whole blood and serum. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors associated with seropositivity. Of the 27 (22.1%; 27/122) seropositive participants all were seropositive for SFG, with 5/27 (4.1%) also positive for TG. Of the 27 positive sera, 14.8% (4/27) were further classified as exposure to R. australis, 3.7% (1/27) to R. honei, 3.7% (1/27) to R. felis and 77.8% (21/27) were classified as ‘indeterminate’—most of which (85.7%; 18/21) were indeterminate R. australis/R. honei exposures. Rickettsia DNA was not detected in whole blood or serum. Rehabilitators were more likely to be seropositive if more than one household member rehabilitated wildlife, were older than 50 years or had occupational animal contact. These findings suggest that AWRs are at increased risk of contracting Rickettsia-related illnesses, however the source of the increased seropositivity remains unclear.
Increased Tumor Growth Rate and Mesenchymal Properties of NSCLC-Patient-Derived Xenograft Models during Serial Transplantation

Simple Summary Advances have been made in the study of NSCLC tumors using in vivo models, such as patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). However, the number of PDX models that can represent the heterogeneity of NSCLC between different individuals is still limited. We successfully established nine PDX mice, from which lung adenocarcinoma tumors bearing the KRAS-G12C mutation were the most frequently grafted. We show that the most aggressive tumors have a greater implantation capacity, and the success of their implantation is indicative of a poor prognosis. By using H-score to quantify cell proliferation and mesenchymal markers, we show that PDX tumors evolved towards a more proliferative and mesenchymal phenotype associated with higher protein levels of Ki67, vimentin, and ezrin, suggesting that the evaluation of their combined expression could be used as a prognostic marker to study disease progression. These PDX models provide a valuable platform for NSCLC translational research. Abstract Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The high mortality is very often a consequence of its late diagnosis when the cancer is already locally advanced or has disseminated. Advances in the study of NSCLC tumors have been achieved by using in vivo models, such as patient-derived xenografts. Apart from drug screening, this approach may also be useful for study of the biology of the tumors. In the present study, surgically resected primary lung cancer samples (n = 33) were implanted in immunodeficient mice, and nine were engrafted successfully, including seven adenocarcinomas, one squamous-cell carcinoma, and one large-cell carcinoma. ADC tumors bearing the KRAS-G12C mutation were the most frequently engrafted in our PDX collection. Protein expression of vimentin, ezrin, and Ki67 were evaluated in NSCLC primary tumors and during serial transplantation by immunohistochemistry, using H-score. Our data indicated a more suitable environment for solid adenocarcinoma, compared to other lung tumor subtypes, to grow and preserve its architecture in mice, and a correlation between higher vimentin and ezrin expression in solid adenocarcinomas. A correlation between high vimentin expression and lung adenocarcinoma tumors bearing KRAS-G12C mutation was also observed. In addition, tumor evolution towards more proliferative and mesenchymal phenotypes was already observed in early PDX tumor passages. These PDX models provide a valuable platform for biomarker discovery and drug screening against tumor growth and EMT for lung cancer translational research.