Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TRPCs: Influential Mediators in Skeletal Muscle

Ca2+ itself or Ca2+-dependent signaling pathways play fundamental roles in various cellular processes from cell growth to death. The most representative example can be found in skeletal muscle cells where a well-timed and adequate supply of Ca2+ is required for coordinated Ca2+-dependent skeletal muscle functions, such as the interactions of contractile proteins during contraction. Intracellular Ca2+ movements between the cytosol and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) are strictly regulated to maintain the appropriate Ca2+ supply in skeletal muscle cells. Added to intracellular Ca2+ movements, the contribution of extracellular Ca2+ entry to skeletal muscle functions and its significance have been continuously studied since the early 1990s. Here, studies on the roles of channel proteins that mediate extracellular Ca2+ entry into skeletal muscle cells using skeletal myoblasts, myotubes, fibers, tissue, or skeletal muscle-originated cell lines are reviewed with special attention to the proposed functions of transient receptor potential canonical proteins (TRPCs) as store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) channels under normal conditions and the potential abnormal properties of TRPCs in muscle diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
Shifting the Care of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus from Hospital to Primary Health Care Institutions through an Educational Intervention for Health Care Professionals: An Example from Rural China

This study assessed the impact of an educational intervention on the knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) of Primary Health Care (PHC) professionals, as well as on the types of T2DM care services which they were able to provide. The intervention was carried out in collaboration with county hospitals. The study was conducted from 2015 to 2016 among 241 health care professionals in 18 township health centers and 55 village clinics in three counties in Jiangsu Province, randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group. Participants in the intervention group received professional skills training sessions and team communication and were involved in regular meetings. The control group followed the routine work plan. At one-year follow up, the diabetes knowledge score, practice score, and attitudes score were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group. A significantly higher proportion of health care professionals in the intervention group was able to provide services compared with the control group, for all types of services, except T2DM emergency treatment. The intervention among health care professionals in PHC had a positive impact on their professional diabetes skills, knowledge, attitudes, practices, and types of services they were able to provide, at one-year follow-up.
Advancing the State of the Fog Computing to Enable 5G Network Technologies

Fog Computing (FC) is promising to Internet architecture for the emerging of modern technological approaches such as Fifth Generation (5G) networks and the Internet of Things (IoT). These are the advanced technologies that enable Internet architecture to enhance the data dissemination services based on numerous sensors generating continuous sensory information. It is tough for the current Internet architecture to meet up with the growing demands of the users for such a massive amount of information. Therefore, it needs to adopt modern technologies for efficient data dissemination services across the Internet. Thus, the FC and 5G are updating the data transmission using new technological approaches that are intelligently processing data to provide enhanced communications. This study proposes necessary measures to boost the growth of FC to 5G network usage. It is done by taking an extensive review of how 5G operates as well as studying its taxonomy, the idea of IoT, reviewed projects on IoT applicability, comparison of computing technologies, and the importance of FC. Moreover, it elaborates dynamic issues of computing network technologies, and information is provided on how to remedy these for future recommendations in the field of research and computing network technologies. This paper heavily focuses on the applications of FC as an enabler to the 5G network by identifying the necessary services and network-oriented features that are needed to be used in the place for an improved future enterprise network technology.
Small Molecule Inhibitors of the Response Regulator ArsR Exhibit Bactericidal Activity against Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori is considered the most prevalent bacterial pathogen in humans. The increasing antibiotic resistance evolved by this microorganism has raised alarm bells worldwide due to the significant reduction in the eradication rates of traditional standard therapies. A major challenge in this antibiotic resistance crisis is the identification of novel microbial targets whose inhibitors can overcome the currently circulating resistome. In the present study, we have validated the use of the essential response regulator ArsR as a novel and promising therapeutic target against H. pylori infections. A high-throughput screening of a repurposing chemical library using a fluorescence-based thermal shift assay identified several ArsR binders. At least four of these low-molecular weight compounds noticeably inhibited the DNA binding activity of ArsR and showed bactericidal effects against antibiotic-resistant strains of H. pylori. Among the ArsR inhibitors, a human secondary bile acid, lithocholic acid, quickly destroyed H. pylori cells and exhibited partial synergistic action in combination with clarithromycin or levofloxacin, while the antimicrobial effect of this compound against representative members of the normal human microbiota such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis appeared irrelevant. Our results enhance the battery of novel therapeutic tools against refractory infections caused by multidrug-resistant H. pylori strains.
Direct Ink Writing Glass: A Preliminary Step for Optical Application

In this paper, we present a preliminary study and conceptual idea concerning 3D printing water-sensitive glass, using a borosilicate glass with high alkali and alkaline oxide contents as an example in direct ink writing. The investigated material was prepared in the form of a glass frit, which was further ground in order to obtain a fine powder of desired particle size distribution. In a following step, inks were prepared by mixing the fine glass powder with Pluoronic F-127 hydrogel. The acquired pastes were rheologically characterized and printed using a Robocasting device. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments were performed for base materials and the obtained green bodies. After sintering, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were carried out in order to examine microstructure and the eventual presence of crystalline phase inclusions. The results confirmed that the as obtained inks exhibit stable rheological properties despite the propensity of glass to undergo hydrolysis and could be adjusted to desirable values for 3D printing. No additional phase was observed, supporting the suitability of the designed technology for the production of water sensitive glass inks. SEM micrographs of the sintered samples revealed the presence of closed porosity, which may be the main reason of light scattering.
Evolution of the Human Chromosome 13 Synteny: Evolutionary Rearrangements, Plasticity, Human Disease Genes and Cancer Breakpoints

The history of each human chromosome can be studied through comparative cytogenetic approaches in mammals which permit the identification of human chromosomal homologies and rearrangements between species. Comparative banding, chromosome painting, Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) mapping and genome data permit researchers to formulate hypotheses about ancestral chromosome forms. Human chromosome 13 has been previously shown to be conserved as a single syntenic element in the Ancestral Primate Karyotype; in this context, in order to study and verify the conservation of primate chromosomes homologous to human chromosome 13, we mapped a selected set of BAC probes in three platyrrhine species, characterised by a high level of rearrangements, using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). Our mapping data on Saguinus oedipus, Callithrix argentata and Alouatta belzebul provide insight into synteny of human chromosome 13 evolution in a comparative perspective among primate species, showing rearrangements across taxa. Furthermore, in a wider perspective, we have revised previous cytogenomic literature data on chromosome 13 evolution in eutherian mammals, showing a complex origin of the eutherian mammal ancestral karyotype which has still not been completely clarified. Moreover, we analysed biomedical aspects (the OMIM and Mitelman databases) regarding human chromosome 13, showing that this autosome is characterised by a certain level of plasticity that has been implicated in many human cancers and diseases.
Fluorogenic and Bioorthogonal Modification of RNA Using Photoclick Chemistry

A bromoaryltetrazole-modified uridine was synthesized as a new RNA building block for bioorthogonal, light-activated and postsynthetic modification with commercially available fluorescent dyes. It allows “photoclick”-type modifications by irradiation with light (300 nm LED) at internal and terminal positions of presynthesized RNA with maleimide-conjugated fluorophores in good yields. The reaction was evidenced for three different dyes. During irradiation, the emission increases due to the formation of an intrinsically fluorescent pyrazoline moiety as photoclick product. The fluorogenecity of the photoclick reaction was significantly enhanced by energy transfer between the pyrazoline as the reaction product (poor emitter) and the photoclicked dye as the strong emitter. The RNA-dye conjugates show remarkable fluorescent properties, in particular an up to 9.4 fold increase of fluorescence, which are important for chemical biology and fluorescent imaging of RNA in cells.
Laparoscopic drainage as a minimally invasive treatment for a psoas abscess

Abstract A psoas abscess is a rare but potentially devastating condition that is associated with risks of neurological deficits, septic shock, and even death. The current first-line treatment is percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) under imaging guidance, combined with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Surgical drainage should be considered if PCD fails or is impossible. Although many studies on PCD and open surgical drainage have appeared, the outcomes of laparoscopic drainage have rarely been reported. Thus, we laparoscopically drained the psoas abscesses of 6 patients; drainage was complete and we encountered no recurrence or complication. All patients were evaluated by plain radiography, contrast-enhanced computed tomography, and laboratory tests; all were followed-up for 1 year. Laparoscopic drainage is a good treatment option when PCD fails, affording all the advantages of open surgery (complete drainage, resection of infected tissue, and contermporaneous treatment of concomitant lesions). Also, laparoscopic drainage is minimally invasive, requires a smaller incision, and allows rapid recovery.
Potential Adverse Public Health Effects Afforded by the Ingestion of Dietary Lipid Oxidation Product Toxins: Significance of Fried Food Sources

Exposure of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-rich culinary oils (COs) to high temperature frying practices generates high concentrations of cytotoxic and genotoxic lipid oxidation products (LOPs) via oxygen-fueled, recycling peroxidative bursts. These toxins, including aldehydes and epoxy-fatty acids, readily penetrate into fried foods and hence are available for human consumption; therefore, they may pose substantial health hazards. Although previous reports have claimed health benefits offered by the use of PUFA-laden COs for frying purposes, these may be erroneous in view of their failure to consider the negating adverse public health threats presented by food-transferable LOPs therein. When absorbed from the gastrointestinal (GI) system into the systemic circulation, such LOPs may significantly contribute to enhanced risks of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), e.g. , cancer, along with cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Herein, we provide a comprehensive rationale relating to the public health threats posed by the dietary ingestion of LOPs in fried foods. We begin with an introduction to sequential lipid peroxidation processes, describing the noxious effects of LOP toxins generated therefrom. We continue to discuss GI system interactions, the metabolism and biotransformation of primary lipid hydroperoxide LOPs and their secondary products, and the toxicological properties of these agents, prior to providing a narrative on chemically-reactive, secondary aldehydic LOPs available for human ingestion. In view of a range of previous studies focused on their deleterious health effects in animal and cellular model systems, some emphasis is placed on the physiological fate of the more prevalent and toxic α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. We conclude with a description of targeted nutritional and interventional strategies, whilst highlighting the urgent and unmet clinical need for nutritional and epidemiological trials probing relationships between the incidence of NCDs, and the frequency and estimated quantities of dietary LOP intake.
Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Properties of Four Lycopus Taxa and an Interaction Study of Their Major Compounds

The compositions of leaf infusions of three genotypes of Lycopus europaeus L. with origins in central Europe, namely L. europaeus A (LeuA), L. europaeus B (LeuB), and L. europaeus C (LeuC), and one genotype of L. exaltatus (Lex), were examined by LC-MS-DAD (Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry and Diode Array Detection) analysis. This revealed the presence of thirteen compounds belonging to the groups of phenolic acids and flavonoids, with a predominance of rosmarinic acid (RA) and luteolin-7-O-glucuronide (LGlr). The antimicrobial activity of leaf infusions was tested on the collection strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and on the clinical Staphylococcus aureus strains. We detected higher activity against Gram-positive bacteria, of which the most susceptible strains were those of Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant and poly-resistant strains. Furthermore, we examined the antioxidant activity of leaf infusions using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) methods, and on NIH/3T3 cell lines using dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA). We also studied the mutual interactions between selected infusions, namely RA and/or LGlr. In the mixtures of leaf infusion and RA or LGlr, we observed slight synergism and a high dose reduction index in most cases. This leads to the beneficial dose reduction at a given antioxidant effect level in mixtures compared to the doses of the parts used alone. Therefore, our study draws attention to further applications of the Lycopus leaves as a valuable alternative source of natural antioxidants and as a promising topical antibacterial agent for medicinal use.
Injection of Raffinose Family Oligosaccharides at 12 Days of Egg Incubation Modulates the Gut Development and Resistance to Opportunistic Pathogens in Broiler Chickens

Simple Summary In the face of a changing climate, antibiotic resistance and uprising outbreaks of ‘forgotten’ diseases, there is an urgent need for new, safe strategies and natural immunomodulatory products in intensive broiler production. So far, many prebiotic and synbiotic preparations have been explored to influence the gut microbiota composition and the host immune system. However, the effects of bioactive compounds are not always found to be consistent. Global analysis allows us to define at least several reasons for those discrepancies: different chemical composition and origins of the oligosaccharides, interaction with other feed ingredients, and unfavorable environmental impact, where the two latter seem to be most important. The in ovo strategy to automatically inject prebiotics at day 12 of egg incubation has been elaborated to eliminate some of those factors and provide a fully controlled modulation of the host biology. Here, the prebiotic modulatory effects were reflected in the improved gut structure and resistance to opportunistic pathogens in the final weeks of broiler rearing, showing lifelong effects. The in ovo strategy allows for the earliest possible immunomodulatory treatments with the use of naturally sourced bioactive compounds, one of them being legume raffinose oligosaccharides. Abstract The aim was to investigate the impact of an automatic in ovo injection of the raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO) extracted from the seeds of Lupinus luteus L, on the chicken performance and resistance in a production environment. At day 12 of incubation, a total of 57,900 eggs (Ross 308) were divided into two groups: 1/ Control, injected with 0.9% NaCl and 2/ RFO group, injected with 1.9 mg/egg of the lupin seed extract, dissolved in 0.2 mL NaCl. The performance parameters, biochemical indices (lipid profile, hepatic parameters), gut histomorphology and duodenum structure, oxidative stability of the meat and microbiological counts of the major commensal microbiota species were analyzed. Mortality, body weight, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were not affected. By day 42, several health indices were improved with RFO and were reflected in a beneficial lipid blood profile, increased villi surface and better combating opportunistic pathogens through reduction of Clostridia and decreased coccidia counts. The RFO increased meat oxidation, but only at the beginning of the storage. The RFO sourced from local legumes can be considered a promising prebiotic for broiler chickens. In ovo delivery of prebiotics and/or synbiotics should be further optimized as an important strategy for the earliest possible modulation of chicken resistance.
Abnormal Upregulation of GPR17 Receptor Contributes to Oligodendrocyte Dysfunction in SOD1 G93A Mice

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive loss of motor neurons (MN). Importantly, MN degeneration is intimately linked to oligodendrocyte dysfunction and impaired capacity of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) to regenerate the myelin sheath enwrapping and protecting neuronal axons. Thus, improving OPC reparative abilities represents an innovative approach to counteract MN loss. A pivotal regulator of OPC maturation is the P2Y-like G protein-coupled receptor 17 (GPR17), whose role in ALS has never been investigated. In other models of neurodegeneration, an abnormal increase of GPR17 has been invariably associated to myelin defects and its pharmacological manipulation succeeded in restoring endogenous remyelination. Here, we analyzed GPR17 alterations in the SOD1G93A ALS mouse model and assessed in vitro whether this receptor could be targeted to correct oligodendrocyte alterations. Western-blot and immunohistochemical analyses showed that GPR17 protein levels are significantly increased in spinal cord of ALS mice at pre-symptomatic stage; this alteration is exacerbated at late symptomatic phases. Concomitantly, mature oligodendrocytes degenerate and are not successfully replaced. Moreover, OPCs isolated from spinal cord of SOD1G93A mice display defective differentiation compared to control cells, which is rescued by treatment with the GPR17 antagonist montelukast. These data open novel therapeutic perspectives for ALS management.
Optimizing High Pressure Processing Parameters to Produce Milkshakes Using Chokeberry Pomace

High hydrostatic pressure is a non-thermal treatment of great interest because of its importance for producing food with additional or enhanced benefits above their nutritional value. In the present study, the effect of high hydrostatic pressure processing parameters (200–500 MPa; 1–10 min) is investigated through response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize the treatment conditions, maximizing the phenol content and antioxidant capacity while minimizing microbiological survival, in milkshakes prepared with chokeberry pomace (2.5–10%). The measurement of fluorescence intensity of the samples was used as an indicator of total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity. The results showed that the intensity of the treatments had different effects on the milkshakes. The RSM described that the greatest retention of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity with minimum microbiological survival were found at 500 MPa for 10 min and 10% (w/v) chokeberry pomace. Therefore, this study offers the opportunity to develop microbiologically safe novel dairy products of high nutritional quality.
Antibacterial Properties of Triethoxysilylpropyl Succinic Anhydride Silane (TESPSA) on Titanium Dental Implants

Infections related to dental implants are a common complication that can ultimately lead to implant failure, and thereby carries significant health and economic costs. In order to ward off these infections, this paper explores the immobilization of triethoxysilylpropyl succinic anhydride (TESPSA, TSP) silane onto dental implants, and the interaction of two distinct monospecies biofilms and an oral plaque with the coated titanium samples. To this end, titanium disks from prior machining were first activated by a NaOH treatment and further functionalized with TESPSA silane. A porous sodium titanate surface was observed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses confirmed the presence of TESPSA on the titanium samples (8.4% for Ti–N-TSP). Furthermore, a lactate dehydrogenase assay concluded that TESPSA did not have a negative effect on the viability of human fibroblasts. Importantly, the in vitro effect of modified surfaces against Streptococcus sanguinis, Lactobacillus salivarius and oral plaque were studied using a viable bacterial adhesion assay. A significant reduction was achieved in all cases but, as expected, with different effectiveness against simple mono-species biofilm (ratio dead/live of 0.4) and complete oral biofilm (ratio dead/live of 0.6). Nevertheless, this approach holds a great potential to provide dental implants with antimicrobial properties.