Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structured supervised exercise training or motivational counselling during pregnancy on physical activity level and health of mother and offspring: FitMum study protocol

Introduction A physically active lifestyle during pregnancy improves maternal and offspring health but can be difficult to follow. In Denmark, less than 40% of pregnant women meet physical activity (PA) recommendations. The FitMum study aims to explore strategies to increase PA during pregnancy among women with low PA and assess the health effects of PA. This paper presents the FitMum protocol, which evaluates the effects of structured supervised exercise training or motivational counselling supported by health technology during pregnancy on PA level and health of mother and offspring. Methods and analysis A single-site three-arm randomised controlled trial that aims to recruit 220 healthy, pregnant women with gestational age (GA) no later than week 15 and whose PA level does not exceed one hour/week. Participants are randomised to one of three groups: structured supervised exercise training consisting of three weekly exercise sessions, motivational counselling supported by health technology or a control group receiving standard care. The interventions take place from randomisation until delivery. The primary outcome is min/week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA) as determined by a commercial activity tracker, collected from randomisation until GA of 28 weeks and 0-6 days, and the secondary outcome is gestational weight gain (GWG). Additional outcomes are complementary measures of PA; clinical and psychological health parameters in participant, partner and offspring; analyses of blood, placenta and breastmilk samples; process evaluation of interventions; and personal understandings of PA. Ethics and dissemination The study is approved by the Danish National Committee on Health Research Ethics (# H-18011067) and the Danish Data Protection Agency (# P-2019-512). Findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications, at conferences, and to health professionals via science theatre performances. Trial registration number NCT03679130. Protocol version This paper was written per the study protocol version 8 dated 28 August 2019.
Implementing the Collaborative Chronic Care Model in Mental Health Clinics: Achieving and Sustaining Clinical Effects.

OBJECTIVE Collaborative chronic care models (CCMs) were established with implementation support in nine mental health clinics. This study sought to determine whether their clinical impact was maintained after implementation support ceased. METHODS Posttrial data were analyzed from a randomized stepped-wedge CCM implementation trial in general mental health clinics in nine Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers. Sites received 1 year of implementation support, which was associated with reduced mental health hospitalization rates compared with non-CCM clinics in the same medical centers. Hospitalization rates for the year after implementation support were analyzed by using repeated measures logistic regression comparing the same clinics. RESULTS Hospitalization rates for the postsupport year did not differ from comparison clinics either in the population that initially showed the difference or the population active in the clinics at the end of the year of implementation support. CONCLUSIONS Clinical effects of the CCM may wane after cessation of active implementation support.
Optogenetic tools for manipulation of cyclic nucleotides functionally coupled to cyclic nucleotide‐gated channels

The cyclic nucleotides cAMP and cGMP are ubiquitous second messengers regulating numerous biological processes. Malfunctional cNMP signalling is linked to diseases and thus is an important target in pharmaceutical research. The existing optogenetic toolbox in Caenorhabditis elegans is restricted to soluble adenylyl cyclases, the membrane‐bound Blastocladiella emersonii CyclOp and hyperpolarizing rhodopsins; yet missing are membrane‐bound photoactivatable adenylyl cyclases and hyperpolarizers based on K+ currents.
Food parenting practices and eating behaviors in childhood: a cross-lagged approach within the Generation XXI cohort.

BACKGROUND Food parenting practices have been associated with children's eating behaviors, but analyses exploring the bidirectional effects are limited. OBJECTIVES We aimed to examine the bidirectional relations between food parenting practices and the eating behavior of children from 4 to 7 y old. METHODS Participants are from the Generation XXI birth cohort (Portugal) assessed at both 4 and 7 y of age (n = 3698 singletons). A validated version of the Child Feeding Questionnaire and the overt/covert control scale were used. Three patterns of food parenting practices (Perceived Monitoring, Restriction, and Pressure to eat) were studied. Perception of children's eating behaviors (eating large amounts of food, eating very slowly, and food refusal) was reported by parents (measured using dichotomous questions). Cross-lagged analyses were performed to evaluate the direction of the associations (parenting practices at 4 y to behaviors at 7 y and the reverse). RESULTS Eating large amounts of food was unidirectionally associated with higher Restriction 3 y later (βstandardized = 0.047; 95% CI: 0.019, 0.075). Apart from Restriction, all associations had a bidirectional effect of similar magnitude. Eating large amounts of food and food refusal at age 4 influenced food parenting, such as Perceived Monitoring and Pressure to eat at age 7, but these practices were prospectively linked to these eating behaviors too (e.g., βstandardized = 0.033; 95% CI: 0.022, 0.064 for food refusal at age 4 and Pressure to eat at age 7, and βstandardized = 0.060; 95% CI: 0.034, 0.086, in the reverse direction). Parenting practices and children's eating behaviors showed significant moderate tracking (standardized path coefficients from 0.24 to 0.49). CONCLUSIONS Eating large amounts of food, eating slowly, and food refusal can influence parents to adopt certain food parenting practices, but these practices also influence children's behaviors after a few years. This reciprocal relation should be considered in future research. Parents should be advised to use food parenting practices associated with healthier eating behaviors.
Signatures for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma: a comparative genetic analysis

ABSTRACT Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are obstructive lung diseases which progress in severity with time. Environmental causes and genetic makeup of individuals play important roles in disease manifestation. The aim of present study was to search for diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers to differentiate COPD and asthma. Materials and methods: Seven ADAM33 and two AQP5 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The association of genotypes, haplotypes and allelic combination of variants in different genes was analyzed in 194 COPD, 150 asthma patients and 220 controls. Results: The genotype frequencies of SNPs V4(C/G), T1(T/C), S2(G/C) of ADAM33 and AQP5 A/G (rs3736309) were associated with COPD and asthma (P=0.038 to P<0.001), while S1(A/G) and F+1(C/T) were associated with asthma (both P<0.001) and V1(G/T) with 20 COPD (P<0.001). The allele frequencies of V4(C/G) (both P<0.001), V1(G/T) (both P<0.05), S2(G/C) (both P<0.01) and S1(A/G) (both P<0.05) were associated with COPD and asthma, while F+1(C/T) was associated only with asthma (P=0.005). Haplotypes of ADAM33 ‘GGTGGGT’ (P=0.027), ‘CGTCGGC’ (P<0.001) and AQP5 ‘GA’ and ‘AG’ (both P<0.001) were significant only in COPD. Conclusion: ADAM33 F+1(C/T) variant and allele combination ‘GGTGGGTGA’ may be specific markers for asthma, while AQP5 ‘AG’ appeared as a haplotype associated only with COPD. These specific genetic biomarkers may be exploited to predict individual predisposition to COPD and asthma.
Divergent DNA methylation contributes to duplicated gene evolution and chilling response in tea plants.

Tea plant is a thermophilic cash crop and contains a highly duplicated and repeat-rich genome. It is still unclear how DNA methylation regulates the evolution of duplicated genes and chilling stress in tea plants. We therefore generated a single-base resolution DNA methylation map of tea plants under chilling stress. We found that compared with other plants, the tea plant genome is highly methylated in all three sequence contexts, including CG, CHG, and CHH (H = A, T, or C), which is further proved to be correlated with its repeat content and genome size. We show that DNA methylation in the gene body negatively regulates the gene expression of tea plants, while non-CG methylation in the flanking region enables a positive regulation of gene expression. We demonstrate that transposable element-mediated methylation dynamics significantly drives the expression divergence of duplicated genes in tea plants. DNA methylation and expression divergence of tea plant duplicated genes increase with their evolutionary ages and selective pressure. Besides, we detect thousands of differentially methylated genes, some of which are functionally associated with chilling stress. We also experimentally reveal that DNA methyltransferase genes of tea plants are significantly down-regulated, while demethylase genes are up-regulated at the initial stage of chilling stress, which is in line with the significant loss of DNA methylation of three well-known cold-responsive genes at their promoter and gene body regions. Overall, our findings underscore the importance of DNA methylation regulation and offer new insights into the duplicated gene evolution and chilling tolerance in tea plants.
Recent advances in the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders

Purpose of review This review examines recently published randomized placebo-controlled trials for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). Recent findings Until recently, treatments for NMOSD were used-off label and had not been subjected to randomized placebo-controlled trials. Increased understanding of the pathophysiology of NMOSD, particularly aquaporin-4-IgG seropositive NMOSD, lead to the investigation of eculizumab, inebilizumab, and satralizumab for maintenance therapy. Eculizumab inhibits the cleavage of the terminal complement protein C5, inebilizumab depletes immune cells of B-lymphocyte lineage, and satralizumab inhibits interleukin-6 receptors. International, phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled trials have demonstrated that each of these therapies reduces the risk of NMOSD relapse. In some cases, the studied therapies were administered in conjunction with other immunosuppressants. Each therapy has important safety considerations, notably risk of meningococcal infection with eculizumab and risks of infection and hypogammaglobulinemia with inebilizumab. Reviewing trial design highlights future areas of inquiry for the treatment of NMOSD. Summary Eculizumab, inebilizumab, and satralizumab are effective maintenance therapies approved for the treatment of AQP-4 seropositive NMOSD.
Synthesis and NMR Properties of Pentacyclic Heterocycles Containing Sulfur, Nitrogen And Oxygen Or Selenium

Abstract 4,4′-Dichloro-3,3′-diquinolinyl sulfide 3 underwent ring closure reactions with divalent nucleophiles to pentacyclic heterocycles: dithiin 4, thiopyran 5, thiazine 6, oxathiin 7 and thiaselenin 8 in good yield (76–100%). The chemical shift of the H-1 and H-13 protons in 1H NMR spectra is a result of the interaction between these atoms and the Z-atom.
Association of folate intake and colorectal cancer risk in the postfortification era in US women.

BACKGROUND Folate may play a preventive role in the early stages of colorectal carcinogenesis, but long latencies may be needed to observe a reduction in colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence. In addition, concerns have been raised about the potential for cancer promotion with excessive folate intake, especially after the mandatory folic acid fortification in the United States in 1998. OBJECTIVE We aimed to examine the association between folate intake in different chemical forms and CRC risk, especially in the postfortification era in the United States. DESIGN We prospectively followed 86,320 women from the Nurses' Health Study (1980-2016). Folate intake was collected by validated food frequency questionnaires. CRC was self reported and confirmed by review of medical records. The association between the folate intake and CRC risk was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS We documented 1988 incident CRC cases during follow-up. Analyzing folate intake as a continuous variable, greater total folate intake 12-24 y before diagnosis was associated with lower risk of CRC (per increment of 400 dietary folate equivalents (DFE)/d, HR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.85, 1.01 for 12-16 y; HR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.75, 0.92 for 16-20 y; and HR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.77, 0.99 for 20-24 y); and greater synthetic folic acid intake 16-24 y before diagnosis was also associated with a lower CRC risk (per increment of 400 DFE/d, HR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.84, 0.99 for 16-20 y and HR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.83-1.01 for 20-24 y). In the postfortification period (1998-2016), intake of total or specific forms of folate was not associated with CRC risk, even among multivitamin users. CONCLUSIONS Folate intake, both total and from synthetic forms, was associated with a lower risk of overall CRC after long latency periods. There was no evidence that high folate intake in the postfortification period was related to increased CRC risk in this US female population.
Characteristics of Clostridioides difficile colonization in Ilamian children.

Background The increasing colonization with Clostridioides difficile in paediatric hospitalized population is a well known event; however, its prevalence in Iranian children has not effectively been identified yet. Objective The objective of this study was to determine the intestinal-carriage rates of C. difficile and molecular characterization of C. difficile in the Ilamian pediatric population from May 22, 2018, until September 22, 2018. Materials and Methods Eighty samples were obtained from 40 children aged <5 years, at day 0 of their hospitalization (N=40 samples), to determine community-associated colonization, and then at day 5 days after hospitalization (N=40 samples), to determine healthcare associated colonization. The stool samples were examined for C. difficile, and isolated strains were evaluated for production of Clostridial toxins A/B and molecular characterizations. Results The colonization rates of C. difficile and toxigenic C. difficile were 10% (8/80) and 3.75% (3/80), respectively. Based on the age group, the intestinal-carriage rates of C. difficile were 37.5, 50, and 12.5% in children ≤ 1, 1-3, and 3-5 years old, respectively. Our findings have revealed eight distinct ribotypes. Our findings have revealed eight distinct ribotypes of C. difficile isolates. Three out of 8 (37.5%) of C. difficile isolates were considered as community-associated colonization and belonged to ribotypes 7, 8, and 9. Conclusion. Our findings suggest the need of confirmation by further epidemiological studies in Iranian children. Given that the 37.5% of cases observed were community-associated, estimates of the incidence of C. difficile infections, that include only hospitalized children, may largely underestimate the burden of disease in children.
Increased Adipose Tissue Fibrogenesis, Not Impaired Expandability, Is Associated With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

It is proposed that impaired expansion of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and an increase in adipose tissue (AT) fibrosis causes ectopic lipid accumulation, insulin resistance (IR), and metabolically unhealthy obesity. We therefore evaluated whether a decrease in SAT expandability, assessed by measuring SAT lipogenesis (triglyceride [TG] production), and an increase in SAT fibrogenesis (collagen production) are associated with NAFLD and IR in persons with obesity.
How complementarity and selection affect the relationship between ecosystem functioning and stability.

The biotic mechanisms underlying ecosystem functioning and stability have been extensively - but separately - explored in the literature, making it difficult to understand the relationship between functioning and stability. In this study, we used community models to examine how complementarity and selection, the two major biodiversity mechanisms known to enhance ecosystem biomass production, affect ecosystem stability. Our analytic and simulation results show that while complementarity promotes stability, selection impairs it. The negative effects of selection on stability operate through weakening portfolio effects and selecting species that have high productivity but low tolerance to perturbations ("risk-prone" species). In contrast, complementarity enhances stability by increasing portfolio effects and reducing the relative abundance of risk-prone species. Consequently, ecosystem functioning and stability exhibit either a synergy, if complementarity effects prevail, or trade-off, if selection effects prevail. Across species richness levels, ecosystem functioning and stability tend to be positively related, but negative relationships can occur when selection co-varies with richness. Our findings provide novel insights for understanding the functioning-stability relationship, with potential implications for both ecological research and ecosystem management.
Raman scattering and SEM study of bio-conjugated core-shell CdSe/ZnS quantum dots

Core-shell CdSe/ZnS quantum dots are promising as bio-luminescent markers: being conjugated to bio molecules (proteins), they serve as luminescence tags in antigen-antibody biochemical reaction. This presents a possibility to detect, for example, the variation of the protein biomarkers to promote the early cancer diagnosis. We studied the effect of bio molecules conjugated to QDs using Raman scattering spectra, and found that in some cases the conjugation leads to noticeable variation of these spectra, so that the detection of bio molecules could be done more accurately. An explanation of the effect is proposed. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Intra-articular injection of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells ameliorates monosodium iodoacetate-induced osteoarthritis in rats by inhibiting cartilage degradation and inflammation

Aims This study aimed to investigate whether human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) can prevent articular cartilage degradation and explore the underlying mechanisms in a rat osteoarthritis (OA) model induced by monosodium iodoacetate (MIA). Methods Human UC-MSCs were characterized by their phenotype and multilineage differentiation potential. Two weeks after MIA induction in rats, human UC-MSCs were intra-articularly injected once a week for three weeks. The therapeutic effect of human UC-MSCs was evaluated by haematoxylin and eosin, toluidine blue, Safranin-O/Fast green staining, and Mankin scores. Markers of joint cartilage injury and pro- and anti-inflammatory markers were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results Histopathological analysis showed that intra-articular injection of human UC-MSCs significantly inhibited the progression of OA, as demonstrated by reduced cartilage degradation, increased Safranin-O staining, and lower Mankin scores. Immunohistochemistry showed that human UC-MSC treatment down-regulated the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP13) and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5 (ADAMTS-5), and enhanced the expression of type II collagen and ki67 in the articular cartilage. Furthermore, human UC-MSCs significantly decreased the expression of interleukin (IL)-1β and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), while increasing TNF-α-induced protein 6 and IL-1 receptor antagonist. Conclusion Our results demonstrated that human UC-MSCs ameliorate MIA-induced OA by preventing cartilage degradation, restoring the proliferation of chondrocytes, and inhibiting the inflammatory response, which implies that human UC-MSCs may be a promising strategy for the treatment of OA. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2021;10(3):226–236.
Breast milk flora plays an important role in infantile eczema: cohort study in Northeast China

Infantile eczema, usually coupled with a range of hypersensitive phenotypes, has come into notice with its rising prevalence and unclear pathogenesis. Recent studies show close ties between eczema and an infant's intestinal flora. To gain a further understanding of the interactions between microbiota and eczema, we studied the breast milk flora as a new factor and present the links among breast milk flora, infant intestinal flora and infantile eczema through a cohort study in Northeast China.
Determining Gut Microbial Dysbiosis: a Review of Applied Indexes for Assessment of Intestinal Microbiota Imbalances

Assessing “dysbiosis” in intestinal microbial communities is increasingly considered a routine analysis in microbiota studies, and it has added relevant information to the prediction and characterization of diseases and other adverse conditions. However, dysbiosis is not a well-defined condition. ABSTRACT Assessing “dysbiosis” in intestinal microbial communities is increasingly considered a routine analysis in microbiota studies, and it has added relevant information to the prediction and characterization of diseases and other adverse conditions. However, dysbiosis is not a well-defined condition. A variety of different dysbiosis indexes have been suggested and applied, but their underlying methodologies, as well as the cohorts and conditions for which they have been developed, differ considerably. To date, no comprehensive overview and comparison of all the different methodologies and applications of such indexes is available. Here, we list all types of dysbiosis indexes identified in the literature, introduce their methodology, group them into categories, and discuss their potential descriptive and clinical applications as well as their limitations. Thus, our focus is not on the implications of dysbiosis for disease but on the methodological approaches available to determine and quantify this condition.
Gene variants of coagulation related proteins that interact with SARS-CoV-2

Thrombosis is a recognized complication of Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) and is often associated with poor prognosis. There is a well-recognized link between coagulation and inflammation, however, the extent of thrombotic events associated with COVID-19 warrants further investigation. Poly(A) Binding Protein Cytoplasmic 4 (PABPC4), Serine/Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitor Clade G Member 1 (SERPING1) and Vitamin K epOxide Reductase Complex subunit 1 (VKORC1), which are all proteins linked to coagulation, have been shown to interact with SARS proteins. We computationally examined the interaction of these with SARS-CoV-2 proteins and, in the case of VKORC1, we describe its binding to ORF7a in detail. We examined the occurrence of variants of each of these proteins across populations and interrogated their potential contribution to COVID-19 severity. Potential mechanisms, by which some of these variants may contribute to disease, are proposed. Some of these variants are prevalent in minority groups that are disproportionally affected by severe COVID-19. Therefore, we are proposing that further investigation around these variants may lead to better understanding of disease pathogenesis in minority groups and more informed therapeutic approaches.