Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Self‐emulsifying drug delivery system of (R)‐α‐lipoic acid to improve its stability and oral absorption

The present study was designed to develop a self‐emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS) of (R)‐α‐lipoic acid (RLA) to improve the physicochemical and nutraceutical properties of RLA. RLA/SEDDS was prepared using medium‐chain triglycerides, Tween 80, and polyethylene glycol 400 as oil, surfactant, and co‐surfactant, respectively. The preferable composition of SEDDS was selected according to a pseudo‐ternary phase diagram for improved emulsification properties, and its physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties were evaluated. RLA/SEDDS showed the immediate formation of fine micelles with a mean droplet size of approximately 260 nm when introduced into aqueous media. In simulated gastric fluid, this system could significantly improve the dissolution behavior of RLA and prevent the degradation of RLA, possibly due to the encapsulation of RLA into the emulsion structure. Following the oral administration of RLA/SEDDS (10 mg RLA/kg) in rats, systemic exposure to RLA and dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), a reduced form of RLA, increased by 7‐ and 3‐fold, respectively. The improved dissolution and gastric stability of RLA could contribute to enhancing systemic exposure to RLA and DHLA after oral administration. From these findings, RLA/SEDDS might be an efficacious dosage option for improving the oral bioavailability as well as nutraceutical properties of RLA.
Modeling the Solubility of Sclareol in Organic Solvents using Solubility Parameters

AGUDA, REMIL MARTINEZ. Modeling the Solubility of Sclareol in Organic Solvents using Solubility Parameters. (Under the direction of Dr. Peter K. Kilpatrick and Dr. Ruben G. Carbonell.) This study aimed to obtain the solubility of sclareol, a nutraceutical, in a set of organic solvents and to correlate the experimental data using the Hansen solubility parameter approach. Solubility is an important physical property for designing an extraction process for nutraceuticals, using Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) solvents. The solubility of sclareol in a wide variety of organic solvents was measured at 25 ° C by gas chromatography. The extended Hansen solubility parameter equation was used to correlate the experimental data. The model was able to correlate the solubility in the individual solvents at 25 ° C with an average % error up to 110 %, which is comparable with similar systems in the literature. The temperature dependence of solubility of sclareol in selected GRAS ethyl ester solvents was also measured. However, the model was unable to provide a good fit of the experimental data of sclareol in these solvents over a range of temperatures. The predictive capability of the model decreased as the Hansen solubility parameter of the solvent deviates from the solute. MODELING THE SOLUBILITY OF SCLAREOL IN ORGANIC SOLVENTS USING SOLUBILITY PARAMETERS
Leading a Horse to Water AND Making Him Drink…Recommendations for Dealing with Non-Adherent Patients.

My father was a very smart man and loved telling stories. One of his favorites was about a time when he was in the Army and went to a doctor for an infection on his foot. He described in detail the large pills the doctor prescribed and how much trouble he had swallowing them. After a couple weeks, he could not figure out why the pills were not working. At a follow up appointment, he learned that he was supposed to dissolve the large pills in water and soak his feet, and not swallow the pills! Fortunately, my dad was fine despite this misunderstanding, and we were able to enjoy a few laughs. Misunderstandings happen all of the time in life, and of course, healthcare is no different. Patient misunderstanding is only one of many reasons for patient non-adherence. The old English proverb “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink,” comes to mind regarding this issue. Physicians can make the best recommendations for their patients, but they cannot make them adhere to them. Patient non-adherence can be demonstrated in many ways including a patient’s failure to schedule or keep appointments, failure to obtain recommended diagnostic testing (e.g., lab or x-rays), failure to fill or take medications as prescribed, failure to report worsening symptoms, or engaging in conduct that is contrary to what a health care provider has recommended. This issue is not a new problem for patients or their health care providers. This article will discuss the staggering statistics relating to patient non-adherence, provide an overview of the risk issues for health care providers, and provide some recommendations, touching on some patient-centered, value-based healthcare innovation options available to physicians and patients that could be embraced to help with this problem.
Integrin β1 regulates proliferation, apoptosis, and migration of trophoblasts through activation of phosphoinositide 3 kinase/protein kinase B signaling

Abnormal trophoblast invasion is one of the onsets of preeclampsia (PE). Studies found that integrin β1 (ITGB1) is closely related to PE, but the role of ITGB1 in the progression of trophoblast remained unclear. Therefore, we studied the functional role of ITGB1 in PE and its effects on trophoblast.
The Psychopathology, Depression, and Anxiety Levels of Children and Adolescents With Vasovagal Syncope

Abstract Vasovagal syncope constitutes 61% to 80% of syncope cases in the pediatric age group. Syncope is frequently associated with psychopathologies such as depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, somatization disorders, etc. Our study aims to evaluate vasovagal syncope cases in terms of additional psychopathologies, depression, and anxiety levels with a control group. A total of 97 people were included in the study (47 cases and 50 controls). After conducting a cardiological examination, the participants were evaluated for psychopathologies using Kiddie-Sads-Present and Lifetime Version, Child Depression Inventory, and Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders. The case group had a higher rate of psychopathology compared with the control group. Depression, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety, and conversion disorder were significantly higher in the case group than in the control group. Syncope in children can be an underlying psychopathology or the clinical manifestation of a psychosomatic condition. Psychological assessment, which could offer beneficial contributions to the diagnosis and treatment of syncope, was considered necessary for a holistic evaluation of patients.
Stiffness of aortic arch and carotid arteries increases in ApoE-knockout mice with high-fat diet: evidence from echocardiography.

Arterial stiffness is an effective predictor of atherosclerosis. Measurement of pulse-wave velocity (PWV) is a gold-standard approach to study arterial stiffness. This study aims to examine arterial stiffness and heart functions via echocardiography at an early stage of atherosclerosis. A model of atherosclerosis in ApoE-knockout (ApoE-/- ) mice fed on high-fat diet (HFD) was used, with normal chow diet (ND) as a control. Stiffness of aortic arch and carotid arteries and left ventricular (LV) systolic/diastolic functions were measured by echocardiography. The plasma cholesterol levels and atherosclerotic plaque areas in the aortas were measured. The PWV values of aortic arch and carotid arteries were compared at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks with different diets. Compared with ND mice, PWV values in aortic arch and carotid arteries were significantly increased in HFD mice after 8 weeks (Aortic arch: 516.65 ± 216.89 cm/s vs. 192.53 ± 71.71 cm/s; Carotid arteries: 514.26 ± 211.01 cm/s vs. 188.03 ± 75.14 cm/s, respectively; both P < 0.01) accompanied by the decrease in LV systolic/diastolic functions. These were well correlated with the increase in plasma cholesterol levels. Echo-based PWV measurement in the aortic arch was found more sensitive to predict atherosclerosis than in the carotid arteries in ApoE-/- mice. Measuring aortic arch PWV via echocardiography could represent a new diagnostic strategy for early detection of atherosclerosis.
Machine learning approach to gene essentiality prediction: a review

Essential genes are critical for the growth and survival of any organism. The machine learning approach complements the experimental methods to minimize the resources required for essentiality assays. Previous studies revealed the need to discover relevant features that significantly classify essential genes, improve on the generalizability of prediction models across organisms, and construct a robust gold standard as the class label for the train data to enhance prediction. Findings also show that a significant limitation of the machine learning approach is predicting conditionally essential genes. The essentiality status of a gene can change due to a specific condition of the organism. This review examines various methods applied to essential gene prediction task, their strengths, limitations and the factors responsible for effective computational prediction of essential genes. We discussed categories of features and how they contribute to the classification performance of essentiality prediction models. Five categories of features, namely, gene sequence, protein sequence, network topology, homology and gene ontology-based features, were generated for Caenorhabditis elegans to perform a comparative analysis of their essentiality prediction capacity. Gene ontology-based feature category outperformed other categories of features majorly due to its high correlation with the genes' biological functions. However, the topology feature category provided the highest discriminatory power making it more suitable for essentiality prediction. The major limiting factor of machine learning to predict essential genes conditionality is the unavailability of labeled data for interest conditions that can train a classifier. Therefore, cooperative machine learning could further exploit models that can perform well in conditional essentiality predictions. SHORT ABSTRACT Identification of essential genes is imperative because it provides an understanding of the core structure and function, accelerating drug targets' discovery, among other functions. Recent studies have applied machine learning to complement the experimental identification of essential genes. However, several factors are limiting the performance of machine learning approaches. This review aims to present the standard procedure and resources available for predicting essential genes in organisms, and also highlight the factors responsible for the current limitation in using machine learning for conditional gene essentiality prediction. The choice of features and ML technique was identified as an important factor to predict essential genes effectively.
The efficacy of radiofrequency, intense pulsed light and carboxytherapy in facial rejuvenation

ABSTRACT Skin aging may be divided into intrinsic and extrinsic aging or photoaging. The first is a natural, slow and gradual process. The second is exacerbated by environmental factors such as improper exposure to sunlight. There are a myriad of therapeutic modalities that can improve photoaging. Intense pulsed light, radiofrequency and carboxytherapy are good procedural modalities to improve skin aging. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of IPL, RF, and carboxytherapy in facial rejuvenation. This study included 60 patients with facial wrinkles. Patients were divided into three groups. Group 1 was treated with IPL, group 2 was treated with radiofrequency while group 3 was treated with carboxytherapy. All patients received four sessions with 3–4 week interval and followed up after 3 months after the end of treatment. Patients were assessed by digital photographing and skin biopsies before and after treatment. There was a significant difference in the percentage of improvement and patients’ satisfaction with more significance in group 1, followed by group 3 then group 2. IPL was the more effective, followed by carboxytherapy then RF at the end in facial rejuvenation. These results were confirmed by immunohistochemical expression of MMP1.
Serpins in cartilage and osteoarthritis: what do we know?

Serpins (serine proteinase inhibitors) are an ancient superfamily of structurally similar proteins, the majority of which use an elegant suicide inhibition mechanism to target serine proteinases. Despite likely evolving from a single common ancestor, the 36 human serpins have established roles regulating diverse biological processes, such as blood coagulation, embryonic development and extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover. Genetic mutations in serpin genes underpin a host of monogenic disorders — collectively termed the ‘serpinopathies’ — but serpin dysregulation has also been shown to drive pathological mechanisms in many common diseases. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disorder, characterised by the progressive destruction of articular cartilage. This breakdown of the cartilage is driven by the metalloproteinases, and it has long been established that an imbalance of metalloproteinases to their inhibitors is of critical importance. More recently, a role for serine proteinases in cartilage destruction is emerging; including the activation of latent matrix metalloproteinases and cell-surface receptors, or direct proteolysis of the ECM. Serpins likely regulate these processes, as well as having roles beyond serine proteinase inhibition. Indeed, serpins are routinely observed to be highly modulated in osteoarthritic tissues and fluids by ‘omic analysis, but despite this, they are largely ignored. Confusing nomenclature and an underappreciation for the role of serine proteinases in osteoarthritis (OA) being the likely causes. In this narrative review, serpin structure, biochemistry and nomenclature are introduced, and for the first time, their putative importance in maintaining joint tissues — as well as their dysregulation in OA — are explored.
Fraud Detection of Herbal Medicines Based on Modern Analytical Technologies Combine with Chemometrics Approach: A Review

Abstract Fraud in herbal medicines (HMs), commonplace throughout human history, is significantly related to medicinal effects with sometimes lethal consequences. Major HMs fraud events seem to occur with a certain regularity, such as substitution by counterfeits, adulteration by addition of inferior production-own materials, adulteration by chemical compounds, and adulteration by addition of foreign matter. The assessment of HMs fraud is in urgent demand to guarantee consumer protection against the four fraudulent activities. In this review, three analysis platforms (targeted, non-targeted, and the combination of non-targeted and targeted analysis) were introduced and summarized. Furthermore, the integration of analysis technology and chemometrics method (e.g., class-modeling, discrimination, and regression method) have also been discussed. Each integration shows different applicability depending on their advantages, drawbacks, and some factors, such as the explicit objective analysis or the nature of four types of HMs fraud. In an attempt to better solve four typical HMs fraud, appropriate analytical strategies are advised and illustrated with several typical studies. The article provides a general workflow of analysis methods that have been used for detection of HMs fraud. All analysis technologies and chemometrics methods applied can conduce to excellent reference value for further exploration of analysis methods in HMs fraud.
Disparities between US Hispanic and non-Hispanic women in obesity-related perinatal outcomes: a prospective cohort study

Abstract Background Mortality figures and national health surveillance data have demonstrated that Hispanics have a 24% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to their non-Hispanic counterparts despite increased rates of obesity and related illnesses. Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate if this paradox exists for obesity-related perinatal outcomes in otherwise low-risk Hispanic women. Materials and methods A prospective cohort study of low-risk women across all BMI classes with a singleton, non-anomalous term pregnancy admitted in active labor or undergoing induction of labor between May 2014 and April 2017. All demographic, obstetric, and neonatal outcomes were recorded, and the body mass index (BMI) closest to delivery was used for analysis. Data including composites of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes were compared across BMI classes and between individuals of Hispanic and non-Hispanic ethnicity. Women with antenatal complications, prior cesarean delivery, and cesarean for non-reassuring fetal status were excluded. Results Of the 11,369 women who met inclusion criteria, 6303 (55%) were Hispanic. Eight percent of Hispanic women were normal weight (BMI: 18.5–24.9), 34% were overweight (BMI: 25–29.9), and 58% were obese (BMI > 30). Fourteen percent of non-Hispanic women were normal weight, 42% were overweight, and 44% were obese. The majority (65%) of women were multiparous. Rate of induction and birthweight increased across BMI for Hispanic and non-Hispanic groups, however the route of delivery was not significantly different (p = .22, 0.16, respectively). Although the association between BMI and composite perinatal complications did not differ by BMI class and ethnicity, the newborns of non-Hispanic women were more likely to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit with increasing maternal weight class (<0.001), even after adjusting for age, parity, marital status, prenatal visits, current tobacco use, type of labor, mode of delivery, and birthweight. Conclusion There were no demonstrable differences in composite adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes between Hispanic and non-Hispanic obese women. However, newborns of non-Hispanic obese women were more likely to be transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit with increasing maternal BMI.
Remote control of magnetic nanocomplexes for delivery and destruction of cancer cells

Although nanotechnology advances have been exploited for a myriad of purposes, including cancer diagnostics and treatment, still there is little discussion about the mechanisms of remote control. Our main aim here is to explain the possibility of a magnetic field control over magnetic nanocomplexes to improve their delivery, controlled release and antitumor activity. In doing so we considered the nonlinear dynamics of magnetomechanical and magnetochemical effects based on free radical mechanisms in cancer development for future pre-clinical studies.
Evaluation of Oral Transmucosal Administration of Pentobarbital for Euthanasia of Conscious Wild Birds

ABSTRACT This prospective study evaluated oral transmucosal pentobarbital sodium at three doses in 110 wild-caught wild birds requiring euthanasia. Birds received transmucosal pentobarbital at five (430 mg/kg), six (516 mg/kg), and seven times (602 mg/kg) the intravenous dose for mammals. Time to first effects and loss of consciousness, presence of pupillary light and corneal reflexes, apnea, and asystole were recorded each minute. When asystole was not achieved at 5 minutes, IV pentobarbital was administered. Combining data for all doses, loss of consciousness occurred at a median (range) of 2 minutes (0–4.75 min), apnea at 3 minutes (0–6 min), and asystole at 4 minutes (0.5–5 min). Loss of consciousness and apnea occurred significantly faster in the 602 mg/kg dose group than in the 430 mg/kg group (p = 0.009, difference of 0.6 ± 0.2 min; p = 0.024, difference of 0.7 ± 0.3 min), respectively. Apnea and asystole were achieved in 80/110 birds within 5 minutes. Oral transmucosal pentobarbital results in rapid loss of consciousness and respiratory arrest and provides a reliable alternative euthanasia method compared to intravenous administration.
Associations between water, sanitation, and depression among older people in Ghana: empirical evidence from WHO-SAGE Wave 2 survey

Abstract Background While depression is the most frequent psychiatric disorder among the older adults, the use of water and sanitation has been associated with both physical and psychological adverse outcomes. We investigated the associations of water and sanitation with depressive symptoms among older adults in Ghana. Methods The study used data from 4,735 participants in the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Wave 2 of adults aged ≥50 years. Major depressive episode (MDE) was assessed using the World Mental Health Survey version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and we classified water and sanitation sources based on the Joint Monitoring Program. Multivariate logistic regressions evaluated the associations. Results Approximately 7.3% of respondents reported a MDE, 90% and 78% used improved water sources and sanitation facilities respectively, and 77% shared sanitation facilities. Individuals who used unimproved water sources and unimproved sanitation were 1.6 and 1.3 times more likely to report MDE respectively. Also, sex-based analysis showed that the effect of the use of unimproved water and sanitation on depression was much appreciable and more substantial among women compared to men. Conclusions The findings suggest the importance of water and sanitation to the well-being of older people, particularly among women. Policies targeted at improving the mental health in old age should include water and sanitation.
Classification of senior tourists according to personality traits

ABSTRACT This research aims to conduct a cross cultural study of Mainland Chinese and the United States (U.S.) seniors’ personality traits and identify how they affect motivation, preferences, sociodemographic, and travel-related characteristics. Using samples of 496 Mainland Chinese and 532 U.S. senior responses, this research determined that three personality traits (psychocentric, midcentric, and allocentric) described U.S. senior participants and two personality traits (psychocentric and midcentric) described Mainland Chinese senior participants. Using a series of analytical tools including one-way ANOVA, regression, independent sample t-test, and chi-square tests, differences between senior tourists’ personality traits and other variables were determined across U.S. and Mainland Chinese senior samples and across the measurement constructs. Practical implications are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided.
Is the Social Unrest like COVID-19 or Is COVID-19 like the Social Unrest? A Case Study of Source-target Reversibility

ABSTRACT Hong Kong is undergoing two overlapping crises: social unrest over anti-government protests, and COVID-19. The media has linked these events in both objective and subjective ways. While some liken the social unrest to COVID-19, others do the opposite. This is an intriguing real-world instance of source-target reversibility with interchangeable source and target resulting in two apt variants. This paper reports a survey study of the links between crisis perceptions and the aptness of metaphor variants. Participants (N = 93) rated 30 matched items on the effects of both crises on trust in governance, interpersonal relations, the economy, physical/mental health, and Hong Kong’s future. This determined, for each participant, a correlation coefficient reflecting perceived structural similarity, and absolute/raw difference scores reflecting perceived substantive similarity of the crises. They then explained which (or neither) of two constructed headlines depicting the SOCIAL UNREST as COVID-19 or COVID-19 as the SOCIAL UNRESTwas more apt. Logistic regression analyses showed that i) metaphor aptness was predictable from structural but not substantive similarity, and ii) the worse crisis was preferred as source domain, but only for its more experientially concrete aspects. The study exemplifies socio-culturally situated’ theoretical investigation and how metaphor research can shed light on crisis perceptions.