Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization, Preparation, and Purification of Marine Bioactive Peptides

Marine bioactive peptides, as a source of unique bioactive compounds, are the focus of current research. They exert various biological roles, some of the most crucial of which are antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, anticancer activity, antihypertensive activity, anti-inflammatory activity, and so forth, and specific characteristics of the bioactivities are described. This review also describes various manufacturing techniques for marine bioactive peptides using organic synthesis, microwave assisted extraction, chemical hydrolysis, and enzymes hydrolysis. Finally, purification of marine bioactive peptides is described, including gel or size exclusion chromatography, ion-exchange column chromatography, and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, which are aimed at finding a fast, simple, and effective method to obtain the target peptides.
Reducing Clostridium difficile in the Inpatient Setting: A Systematic Review of the Adherence to and Effectiveness of C. difficile Prevention Bundles

BACKGROUND Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most common infectious cause of nosocomial diarrhea, and its prevention is an urgent public health priority. However, reduction of CDI is challenging because of its complex pathogenesis, large reservoirs of colonized patients, and the persistence of infectious spores. The literature lacks high-quality evidence for evaluating interventions, and many hospitals have implemented bundled interventions to reduce CDI with variable results. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to examine the components of CDI bundles, their implementation processes, and their impact on CDI rates. METHODS We conducted a comprehensive literature search of multiple computerized databases from their date of inception through April 30, 2016. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO, an international prospective register of systematic reviews. Bundle effectiveness, adherence, and study quality were assessed for each study meeting our criteria for inclusion. RESULTS In the 26 studies that met the inclusion criteria for this review, implementation and adherence factors to interventions were variably and incompletely reported, making study reproducibility and replicability challenging. Despite contextual differences and the variety of bundle components utilized, all 26 studies reported an improvement in CDI rates. However, given the lack of randomized controlled trials in the literature, assessing a causal relationship between bundled interventions and CDI rates is currently impossible. CONCLUSION Cluster randomized trials that include a rigorous assessment of the implementation of bundled interventions are urgently needed to causally test the effect of intervention bundles on CDI rates. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:639–650
After‐hours/on‐call experience during primary care nurse practitioner education utilizing standard scenarios and simulated patients

Background and purpose: Few nurse practitioner (NP) programs include an after‐hours/on‐call component in their clinical preparation of NP students. This role is expected in many primary and specialty care practices, and is one that students feel unprepared to competently navigate. Methods: Utilizing simulated callers as patients or parents, NP students participated in a simulated after‐hours/on‐call experience that included receiving the call, managing the patient, and submitting documentation of the encounter. Students completed pre‐ and postparticipation evaluations, and were evaluated by the simulated patient callers and faculty using standardized evaluation tools. Conclusions: NP students rated the experience as an educationally valuable experience despite feeling anxious and nervous about the experience. Several essential skills were identified including critical thinking, clear communication, self‐confidence, and access to resources. After participation NP students were more receptive to an NP position with an on‐call component. Implications for practice: Inclusion of a simulated on‐call experience is a feasible component of NP education and should be added to the NP curriculum.
Hypertension and hyperglycemia and the combination thereof enhances the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in middle-aged and older males

ABSTRACT Aim: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be an etiologic cause of aging, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), and metabolic syndrome. However, the influence of these cardiovascular risk factors and their combination on the development of CKD remains controversial. This retrospective study evaluated the influence of cardiovascular risk factors and their combination on the incidence of CKD during a 6-year follow-up period in middle-aged and older males. Methods: The subjects were 303 males without a history of cardiovascular disease, stroke, renal dysfunction, or dialysis treatment. A biochemical analysis, blood pressure (BP) analysis, and anthropometry measurements were performed every year, and the classification of CKD was also assessed based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (<60 ml/min/1.73 m2) and/or presence of proteinuria. Results: After 6 years, the incidence of CKD was noted in 32 subjects. According to a multivariable analysis, hypertension (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.95, 95% confidence of interval [CI]: 1.64–9.49, p = 0.002) and hyperglycemia (HR: 3.27, 95% CI: 1.42–7.56, p = 0.006) were significantly associated with the incidence of CKD. According to a Cox proportional hazards model, the HR for the incidence of CKD was significantly higher in the combination of high-normal BP/hypertension and impaired fasting glucose/DM group than in the combination of normotensive and normal glucose tolerance group (HR: 7.16, 95% CI: 2.43–17.25, p = 0.001). Conclusions: These results suggest that the hypertension and hyperglycemia and their combination may be associated with the incidence of CKD.
3D printing of variable stiffness hyper-redundant robotic arm

Shape memory polymer (SMP) is a type of functional materials that changes Young's modulus when heated above glass transition temperature (Tg). In this work, this property of SMP has been explored for the design and fabrication of a modular omni-directional joint with variable stiffness. When cascading a number of such joints, a variable stiffness hyper-redundant robotic arm can be built. The basic design of the variable stiffness joint is based on a ball joint where the ball is made of two materials: acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and SMP, and the socket is made of only ABS material. When heated, the ball joint shows different resistive torques below and above the SMP's glass transition temperature Tg. Moreover, shape recovery property of SMP material above Tg guarantees the design with high repeatability. Both the ball and the socket are made by a 3D printing process fused deposition modeling (FDM). The FDM fabrication of SMP is made possible by a novel process control method in the FDM process. The ball joint's variable stiffness is tested by a number of experiments. Experimental results indicate distinct changes in resistive torques at different test temperatures. Using the proposed modular omni-directional ball joints, a variable stiffness hyper-redundant robotic arm is built.
Enhanced neuronal regeneration in the CAST/Ei mouse strain is linked to expression of differentiation markers after injury

Peripheral nerve regeneration after injury requires a broad program of transcriptional changes. We investigated the basis for the enhanced nerve regenerative capacity of the CAST/Ei mouse strain relative to C57BL/6 mice. RNA sequencing of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) showed a CAST/Ei specific upregulation of Ascl1 after injury. Ascl1 overexpression in C57BL/6 mice DRG neurons enhanced their neurite outgrowth. Ascl1 is regulated by miR-7048-3p, which is down-regulated in CAST/Ei mice. Inhibition of miR-7048-3p enhances neurite outgrowth. Following injury, CAST/Ei neurons largely retained their mature neuronal profile as determined by single cell RNAseq, whereas the C57BL/6 neurons acquired an immature profile. These findings suggest that one facet of the enhanced regenerative phenotype is preservation of neuronal identity in response to injury.
Laser Ablation of Energetic Materials

The initiation of explosives by laser is a new initiation method. Compared with traditional initiation methods, laser initiation has the characteristics of high reliability and high safety. It can be used as one of the alternative technologies for future initiation device. A micro- scopic understanding of the complex physical and chemical processes involved in the reaction process is essential for laser initiation. Shock initiation technology of laser-driven flyer was studied. Several typical laser-driven flyer targets researches were introduced. Some significant characteristics including velocity and impact stress of flyers were tested via pho - tonic Doppler velocimetry and polyvinylidene fluoride pressure sensor, respectively. Some types of flyers including Al and Cu single-layer flyers and CuO/Cu, CuO/Al, and CuO/Al/ Cu multilayer flyers with relatively high velocities were used to initiate PETN explosive. In order to give a better understanding of the mechanism of laser interaction with typi - cal energetic materials (RDX, HMX, TNT, and HNS), a time of flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) was used to detect the positive ions and the negative ions were produced in the laser-induced dissociation processes. The influences of laser wavelength, the laser fluence, and the delay time of the decomposition process have been studied as well. The results may throw some light on the laser interaction mechanism of energetic materials. beam and energetic materials. followed by Cu single-layer flyer, CuO/Al and CuO/Al/Cu multilayer flyers. The results indicate
Cultured microbes represent a substantial fraction of the human and mouse gut microbiota

ABSTRACT During the last 15 years, molecular techniques have been preferred over culture-based approaches for the study of mammalian gut microbiota, i.e. the communities of microorganisms dwelling in the intestine of mammals. The main reason is the belief that the majority of gut bacteria, especially strict anaerobes, escape cultivation. Despite numerous such statements in publications, the literature does not provide a clear overview on the subject. In the present manuscript, we highlight recent work on the cultivation of bacteria from the intestine of mammals, review the literature and provide novel data pertaining to cultured fractions of mammalian gut microbiota. These data show that, despite marked inter-sample variations, 35 to 65% of molecular species detected by sequencing have representative strains in culture.
Effect of in vivo neutralization of tumor necrosis alpha on the efficacy of antibiotic treatment in systemic Salmonella enterica infections

&NA; Immunity can co‐operate with antibiotics, but can also antagonize drug efficacy by segregating the bacteria to areas of the body that are less accessible to antimicrobials, and by selecting for subpopulations with low division rates that are often difficult to eradicate. We studied the effect of an anti‐inflammatory/immunosuppressive anti‐TNF&agr; treatment, which accelerates bacterial growth in the tissues and inhibits or reverses the formation of granulomas, on the efficacy of ampicillin and ciprofloxacin during a systemic Salmonella enterica infection of the mouse. The anti‐TNF&agr; treatment neither precluded nor enhanced the efficacy of antibiotic treatment. However, the anti‐TNF&agr; treatment rendered the animals susceptible to the rapid relapse of the infection seen after cessation of the antibiotic treatment. Reactivation of an established infection, due to late administration of anti‐TNF&agr; antibodies, could be successfully controlled by antibiotics, but full clearance of the bacterial load from the tissues was not achieved. We conclude that the lack of TNF&agr; does not preclude the efficacy of antibiotic treatment and must be monitored with care due to post‐treatment relapses. Combinations of anti‐cytokine compounds and antibiotic molecules may not be the best way to treat persistent infections with intracellular bacteria like Salmonella. &NA; Graphical Abstract Figure. Effect of in vivo neutralization of tumor necrosis factor alpha on the efficacy of antibiotic treatment in systemic Salmonella enterica infections.
Safety and efficacy of HepaSphere 50–100 μm in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract Aim: To evaluate the effects of HepaSphere 50–100 μm (Merit Medical) as a doxorubicin carrier and embolization agent for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Material and methods: A prospective analysis of 18 patients recruited from a national cancer center was conducted. This analysis evaluated the efficacy and safety of HepaSphere, as expressed by the treatment response rate (measured by the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, mRECIST) and by the prevalence of treatment-related adverse events, respectively. Results: The cohort was predominantly male, with a mean age of 69 years. The objective response rate (complete + partial response) was 53.3%. The variable most likely to be associated with objective response was Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging. The most prevalent adverse events were nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Conclusion: HepaSphere chemoembolization yielded a substantial objective response rate with an acceptable toxicity profile and should be considered an option for HCC treatment.
High prevalence of burnout syndrome among intensivists of the city of Porto Alegre

Burnout syndrome involves emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP) and reduced personal achievement (PA). (1,2) Burnout is associated with absenteeism, physical illnesses, emotional problems, poor work performance and negative attitudes(3) and may result in decreased quality of medical care. The most widely used burnout syndrome measurement tool is the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). (4) Variations in burnout prevalence and severity are reported in all medical specialties. (5-8) Intensivists may have high burnout levels because of the stressful and demanding work associated with critical patient care. (6,9) Guntupalli and Fromm studied burnout among American intensivists(10) and found that 29% had high rates of EE, 20.4% experienced DP, and 59% felt low PA. Similar findings were reported among French and English intensivists, with the prevalence of moderate-to-high burnout ranging from 30 to 45%. (7,11) In Brazil, few burnout prevalence surveys have been performed among intensivists caring for adults. (6,12,13) Burnout syndrome is a work-limiting factor. Thus, this study aims to identify burnout among intensivists caring for adult patients in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Polymer Fibre Artificial Muscle

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Factors associated with Ohio nurse practitioners’ childhood obesity preventive practice patterns

Background and purpose: More nurse practitioners (NPs) infiltrate into primary care settings, and play a pivotal role in prevention of childhood obesity. However, minimal research has been published about their practice patterns. The current study uses a sample of Ohio NPs and describes NPs' childhood obesity prevention practice patterns, knowledge of the guidelines, their personal physical activity in relation to childhood obesity prevention practices, and identification of perceived barriers for practice. Method: Mail surveys were sent to a random selection of Ohio NPs. Quantitative and qualitative analyses methods were used to analyze the association between NPs' personal physical activity and their practice patterns and barriers to preventive practices related to childhood obesity. Conclusions: Ohio NPs who reported engaging in higher physical activity levels were more likely to report providing frequent assessment and counseling of healthy diet and physical activity. Frequency of weight tracking and referral to specialists were less frequent regardless of physical activity engagement by the NPs. Parental resistance was the most significant barrier to lifestyle counseling. Implications for practice: Findings from the current study may offer new insight into innovative approaches for treatment and prevention of childhood obesity. These may include simple quality improvement projects to advocacy for community and school programs.
Editor’s Highlight: Base Excision Repair Variants and Pesticide Exposure Increase Parkinson’s Disease Risk

Exposure to certain pesticides induces oxidative stress and increases Parkinson's disease (PD) risk. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage is found in dopaminergic neurons in idiopathic PD and following pesticide exposure in experimental models thereof. Base excision repair (BER) is the major pathway responsible for repairing oxidative DNA damage in cells. Whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in BER genes alone or in combination with pesticide exposure influence PD risk is unknown. We investigated the contributions of functional SNPs in 2 BER genes (APEX1 and OGG1) and mitochondrial dysfunction- or oxidative stress-related pesticide exposure, including paraquat, to PD risk. We also studied the effect of paraquat on levels of mtDNA damage and mitochondrial bioenergetics. 619 PD patients and 854 population-based controls were analyzed for the 2 SNPs, APEX1 rs1130409 and OGG1 rs1052133. Ambient pesticide exposures were assessed with a geographic information system. Individually, or in combination, the BER SNPs did not influence PD risk. Mitochondrial-inhibiting (OR = 1.79, 95% CI [1.32, 2.42]), oxidative stress-inducing pesticides (OR = 1.61, 95% CI [1.22, 2.11]), and paraquat (OR = 1.54, 95% CI [1.23, 1.93]) were associated with PD. Statistical interactions were detected, including for a genetic risk score based on rs1130409 and rs1052133 and oxidative stress inducing pesticides, where highly exposed carriers of both risk genotypes were at the highest risk of PD (OR = 2.21, 95% CI [1.25, 3.86]); similar interactions were estimated for mitochondrial-inhibiting pesticides and paraquat alone. Additionally, paraquat exposure was found to impair mitochondrial respiration and increase mtDNA damage in in vivo and in vitro systems. Our findings provide insight into possible mechanisms involved in increased PD risk due to pesticide exposure in the context of BER genotype variants.
Stress attenuates the flexible updating of aversive value

Significance A primary goal of translational affective science is to gain a more mechanistic understanding of how stress renders individuals vulnerable to maladaptive threat responses that lead to affective psychopathology. Here, we examined how exposure to acute stress influences the flexible modulation of threat response using reversal learning, a canonical assay of behavioral flexibility. We found that stress exposure led to marked deficits in updating affective responses to shifting sources of threat and that this deficit emerged from a failure to adjust learning rates to accurately reflect new patterns of aversive reinforcement. Our findings point to stress exposure as playing a causal role in reducing affective flexibility through selective learning mechanisms and have implications for healthy and clinical populations alike. In a dynamic environment, sources of threat or safety can unexpectedly change, requiring the flexible updating of stimulus−outcome associations that promote adaptive behavior. However, aversive contexts in which we are required to update predictions of threat are often marked by stress. Acute stress is thought to reduce behavioral flexibility, yet its influence on the modulation of aversive value has not been well characterized. Given that stress exposure is a prominent risk factor for anxiety and trauma-related disorders marked by persistent, inflexible responses to threat, here we examined how acute stress affects the flexible updating of threat responses. Participants completed an aversive learning task, in which one stimulus was probabilistically associated with an electric shock, while the other stimulus signaled safety. A day later, participants underwent an acute stress or control manipulation before completing a reversal learning task during which the original stimulus−outcome contingencies switched. Skin conductance and neuroendocrine responses provided indices of sympathetic arousal and stress responses, respectively. Despite equivalent initial learning, stressed participants showed marked impairments in reversal learning relative to controls. Additionally, reversal learning deficits across participants were related to heightened levels of alpha-amylase, a marker of noradrenergic activity. Finally, fitting arousal data to a computational reinforcement learning model revealed that stress-induced reversal learning deficits emerged from stress-specific changes in the weight assigned to prediction error signals, disrupting the adaptive adjustment of learning rates. Our findings provide insight into how stress renders individuals less sensitive to changes in aversive reinforcement and have implications for understanding clinical conditions marked by stress-related psychopathology.
Simplified AIP‐II Peptidomimetics Are Potent Inhibitors of Staphylococcus aureus AgrC Quorum Sensing Receptors

The bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus controls many aspects of virulence by using the accessory gene regulator (agr) quorum sensing (QS) system. The agr system is activated by a macrocyclic peptide signal known as an autoinducing peptide (AIP). We sought to develop structurally simplified mimetics of AIPs for use as chemical tools to study QS in S. aureus. Herein, we report new peptidomimetic AgrC receptor inhibitors based on a tail‐truncated AIP‐II peptide that have almost analogous inhibitory activities to the parent peptide. Structural comparison of one of these peptidomimetics to the parent peptide and a highly potent, all‐peptide‐derived, S. aureus agr inhibitor (AIP‐III D4A) revealed a conserved hydrophobic motif and overall amphipathic nature. Our results suggest that the AIP scaffold is amenable to structural mimicry and minimization for the development of synthetic agr inhibitors.