Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consumers in the Face of COVID-19-Related Advertising: Threat or Boost Effect?

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the production of a vast amount of COVID-19-themed brand commercials, in an attempt to exploit the salience of the topic to reach more effectively the consumers. However, the literature has produced conflicting findings of the effectiveness of negative emotional contents in advertisings. The present study aims at exploring the effect of COVID-19-related contents on the hemodynamic brain correlates of the consumer approach or avoidance motivation. Twenty Italian participants were randomly assigned to two different groups that watched COVID-19-related or non-COVID-19-related commercials. The hemodynamic response [oxygenated (O2Hb) and deoxygenated hemoglobin modulations] within the left and right prefrontal cortices (PFC) was monitored with Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) while brand commercials were presented, as the prefrontal lateralization was shown to be indicative of the attitude toward the brand and of the approach-avoidance motivation. First, the findings showed that the COVID-19-related contents were able to prompt emotional processing within the PFC to a higher extent compared to contents non-related to COVID-19. Moreover, the single-channel analysis revealed increased O2Hb activity of the left dorsolateral PFC compared to the left pars triangularis Broca’s area in the group of participants that watched the COVID-19-related commercials, suggesting that the commercials may have driven participants to dedicate more attention toward the processing of the emotional components compared to the semantic meaning conveyed by the ad. To conclude, despite expressing unpleasant emotions, commercials referring to the highly emotional pandemic experience may benefit the advertising efficacy, increasing the capability to reach customers.
Assessment of the Effects of the Synbiotic Combination of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis CECT 7210 and Oligofructose-Enriched Inulin Against Digestive Bacterial Infections in a Piglet Model

The use of bifidobacteria as probiotics has proven to be beneficial in gastroenteric infections. Furthermore, prebiotics such as inulin can enhance the survival and growth of these bacteria. Two trials were performed to evaluate the effects of the administration of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis CECT 7210 and oligofructose-enriched inulin against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium or enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F4. A total of 72 (Salmonella trial) and 96 (ETEC F4 trial) weaned piglets were used in a 2 × 2 design (with or without synbiotic, inoculated or not with the pathogen). After adaptation, animals were orally inoculated. Performance and clinical signs were evaluated. On days 4 and 8 (Salmonella trial) and 3 and 7 (ETEC F4 trial) post-inoculation (PI), one animal per pen was euthanized. Blood, digestive content and tissue samples were collected and microbiological counts, fermentation products, serum inflammatory markers and ileum histomorphometry analysis were performed. Both challenges had an impact on faecal consistency (p < 0.001), including the faecal shedding of Salmonella and increased numbers of enterobacteria and coliforms. The synbiotic administration did not have any effect on pathogen loads but induced changes in the fermentation profile, such as increased valeric acid in both trials as well as decreased acetic acid, except for Salmonella-challenged animals. The effect on propionate varied among trials, increasing in challenged synbiotic-treated pigs and decreasing in non-challenged ones in the Salmonella trial (P interaction = 0.013), while the opposed occurred in the ETEC F4 trial (P interaction = 0.013). The administration of the synbiotic increased intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL; p = 0.039) on day 8 PI in the Salmonella trial and a similar trend occurred in non-challenged pigs in the ETEC F4 trial (P interaction = 0.086). The results did not provide evidence of reduced pathogen load with the synbiotic, although a modulation in fermentative activity could be identified depending on the challenge. Consistent increases were found in IEL, suggesting that this synbiotic combination has some immunomodulatory properties.
Moving Toward Remote, Parent-Reported Measurements in Pediatric Anthropometrics for Research and Practice

Anthropometry is the study of human anatomical measurements and can provide insight into growth, energy/nutritional intake, physical fitness, and clinical care (1). Common anthropometric measurements include body/head circumferences, height, weight, and skinfold thickness. Such anthropometric measurements underlie further proxies for health/growth such as body mass index (BMI). The accurate attainment of body measurements and proportions is especially relevant to the field of pediatrics, where growth occurs rapidly and must be quantified in reliable and valid fashions. Anthropometry in pediatrics aids in the diagnosis of such conditions as stunting, wasting, congenital/acquired hormonal disturbances, brain development, andmalnutrition (1). For example, the mid-upper arm circumference allows for insight into the nutritional status of a child or a pregnant woman. Similarly, length/height-for-age, weight-for-age, weight-for-length/height, and BMI-for-age are all useful as growth indicators in pediatric populations. These metrics are best reported as z-scores (number of standard deviations away from a reference median/mean) due to their ease of interpretation and ability to be statistically summarized (mean, median, quartiles) (2). In research, these data can be applied in epidemiological models to identify potential associations that can inform public policy to address population-level nutritional or lifestyle deficits. Clinically, anthropometric measurements directly inform diagnosis and assessment. Herein, we discuss how to approach remote pediatric anthropometry for research and healthcare during a pandemic, where physical engagement is limited.
Polygenic Risk Score Effectively Predicts Depression Onset in Alzheimer’s Disease Based on Major Depressive Disorder Risk Variants

Introduction Depression is a common, though heterogenous, comorbidity in late-onset Alzheimer’s Disease (LOAD) patients. In addition, individuals with depression are at greater risk to develop LOAD. In previous work, we demonstrated shared genetic etiology between depression and LOAD. Collectively, these previous studies suggested interactions between depression and LOAD. However, the underpinning genetic heterogeneity of depression co-occurrence with LOAD, and the various genetic etiologies predisposing depression in LOAD, are largely unknown. Methods Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics were used to create polygenic risk scores (PRS). The Religious Orders Society and Rush Memory and Aging Project (ROSMAP, n = 1,708) and National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC, n = 10,256) datasets served as discovery and validation cohorts, respectively, to assess the PRS performance in predicting depression onset in LOAD patients. Results The PRS showed marginal results in standalone models for predicting depression onset in both ROSMAP (AUC = 0.540) and NACC (AUC = 0.527). Full models, with baseline age, sex, education, and APOEε4 allele count, showed improved prediction of depression onset (ROSMAP AUC: 0.606, NACC AUC: 0.581). In time-to-event analysis, standalone PRS models showed significant effects in ROSMAP (P = 0.0051), but not in NACC cohort. Full models showed significant performance in predicting depression in LOAD for both datasets (P < 0.001 for all). Conclusion This study provided new insights into the genetic factors contributing to depression onset in LOAD and advanced our knowledge of the genetics underlying the heterogeneity of depression in LOAD. The developed PRS accurately predicted LOAD patients with depressive symptoms, thus, has clinical implications including, diagnosis of LOAD patients at high-risk to develop depression for early anti-depressant treatment.
Ex Vivo Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics Modeling and Optimal Regimens Evaluation of Cefquinome Against Bovine Mastitis Caused by Staphylococcus aureus

Cefquinome, the fourth-generation cephalosporin applied solely for veterinary medicine, is commonly used for bovine mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus. The present study aims to establish an optimal dose and provide a PK/PD Cutoff value (COPD) for cefquinome against S. aureus based on ex vivo pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) integration. This study investigated the pharmacokinetics (PK) of cefquinome when administered as three consecutive intramammary (IMM) doses of cefquinome in three healthy dairy cows at 75 mg/gland. Drug concentration was determined by HPLC-MS/MS assay. The ex vivo pharmacodynamics (PD) of cefquinome were evaluated by using a milk sample from a PK experiment. The relationship between the AUC/ MIC of cefquinome and bacterial loading reduction was simulated using a Sigmoid Emax model. The cefquinome concentration in milk attained a maximum level of 1.55 ± 0.21 mg/mL at 1.8 h after the third administration. The mean value of the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC0−24) was 26.12 ± 2.42 mg·h/mL after the third administration. The elimination half-life was 10.6 h. For PD profile, the MICs of cefquinome in milk were 2–4 times higher than those in the broth. In vitro time-killing curve shows that initial bacterial concentration has a huge impact on antibacterial effect on three strains. The antibacterial effect was weakened with the initial bacterial concentration increasing from 106 to 108 CFU/mL. The AUC0−24h/MIC index correlated well with ex vivo efficacy both for the initial inoculum of 106 CFU/mL and 108 CFU/mL (R2 > 0.84). According to the inhibitory sigmoid Emax model analysis, the PK/PD surrogate (AUC0−24/MIC) values were 8,638, 1,397, and 3,851 for bactericidal effect (E = −3) with an initial inoculum of 106 CFU/mL, while the corresponding values were 12,266, 2,295, and 5,337, respectively, with the initial inoculum of 108 CFU/mL. The ex vivo PK/PD based population dose prediction indicated a target attainment rate (TAR) of 90% of 55 mg/gland/12 h. The COPD for cefquinome against S. aureus was 2 μg/mL under the recommended dose of 55 mg/gland/12 h. However, it should be validated in clinical practice in future investigations. These results contribute to the rational use of cefquinome for mastitis treatment in clinical veterinary medicine.
The Effect of Topo-Climate Variation on the Secondary Metabolism of Berries in White Grapevine Varieties (Vitis vinifera)

Exploiting consistent differences in radiation and average air temperature between two experimental vineyards (Ramat Negev, RN and Mitzpe Ramon, MR), we examined the impact of climate variations on total carotenoids, redox status, and phenylpropanoid metabolism in the berries of 10 white wine grapevine (Vitis vinifera) cultivars across three consecutive seasons (2017–2019). The differences in carotenoid and phenylpropanoid contents between sites were seasonal and varietal dependent. However, the warmer RN site was generally associated with higher H2O2 levels and carotenoid degradation, and lower flavonol contents than the cooler MR site. Enhanced carotenoid degradation was positively correlated with radiation and daily degree days, leading to a greater drop in content from véraison to harvest in Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc, and Semillon berries. Analyses of berry H2O2 and phenylpropanoids suggested differences between cultivars in the links between H2O2 and flavonol contents. Generally, however, grapes with higher H2O2 content seem to have lower flavonol contents. Correlative network analyses revealed that phenylpropanoids at the warmer RN site are tightly linked to the radiation and temperature regimes during fruit ripening, indicating potentially harmful effect of warmer climates on berry quality. Specifically, flavan-3-ols were negatively correlated with radiation at RN. Principal component analysis showed that Muscat Blanc, Riesling, Semillon, and Sauvignon Blanc were the most site sensitive cultivars. Our results suggest that grapevine biodiversity is likely the key to withstand global warming hazards.
Pulmonary Embolism and Pregnancy—Challenges in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Decisions in High-Risk Patients

Diagnosis of acute PE in pregnant women with haemodynamic instability is following the general integrated risk-adapted diagnostic algorithm and starts with bedside echocardiography to assess RV function. If RV dysfunction is identified, a prompt and immediate reperfusion without further imaging should be initiated. Although pregnancy is listed as a relative contraindication of systemic thrombolysis, in pregnant women with acute PE and haemodynamic instability thrombolysis must be considered. In those cases, other treatment strategies as surgical embolectomy or catheter-directed low-dose thromboylysis or percutaneous thrombectomy should be taken into consideration as well. A multidisciplinary team with experience of PE management in pregnancy should be consulted to reach consensus on the best treatment approach.
Introduction of a Capillary Gel Electrophoresis-Based Workflow for Biotherapeutics Characterization: Size, Charge, and N-Glycosylation Variant Analysis of Bamlanivimab, an Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Product

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a major public health problem worldwide with 5–10% hospitalization and 2–3% global mortality rates at the time of this publication. The disease is caused by a betacoronavirus called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the Spike protein expressed on the surface of the virus plays a key role in the viral entry into the host cell via the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor. Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies having the RBD as a target have the ability to inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor binding, therefore, prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, represent a promising pharmacological strategy. Bamlanivimab is the first anti-spike neutralizing monoclonal antibody, which got an emergency use authorization from the FDA for COVID-19 treatment. Albeit, bamlanivimab is primarily a neutralizing mAb, some of its effector function related activity was also emphasized. The effector function of antibody therapeutics is greatly affected by their N-linked carbohydrates at the conserved Fc region, possibly influenced by the manufacturing process. Various capillary gel electrophoresis methods are widely accepted in the biopharmaceutical industry for the characterization of therapeutic antibodies. In this paper we introduce a capillary gel electrophoresis based workflow for 1) size heterogeneity analysis to determine the presence/absence of the non-glycosylated heavy chain (NGHC) fragment (SDS-CGE); 2) capillary gel isoelectric focusing for possible N-glycosylation mediated charge heterogeneity determination, e.g., for excess sialylation and finally, 3) capillary gel electrophoresis for N-glycosylation profiling and sequencing. Our results have shown the presence of negligible amount of non-glycosylated heavy chain (NGHC) while 25% acidic charge variants were detected. Comprehensive N-glycosylation characterization revealed the occurrence of approximately 8.2% core-afucosylated complex and 17% galactosylated N-linked oligosaccharides, suggesting the possible existence of antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) effector function in addition to the generally considered neutralizing effect of this particular therapeutic antibody molecule.
Microbiota Survey of Sliced Cooked Ham During the Secondary Shelf Life

Sliced cooked ham packaged in a modified atmosphere is a popular ready-to-eat product, subjected to abundant microbial contamination throughout its shelf life that can lead to deterioration of both sensorial properties and safety. In this study, the microbial load and the chemical–physical features of cooked ham of five producers were monitored for a period of 12 days after the opening of the packages (i.e., the secondary shelf life), during which the products were stored in a domestic refrigerator at 5.2 ± 0.6°C. The sensorial properties presented a perceivable decay after 8 days and became unacceptable after 12 days. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis and solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography profiling of volatile metabolites indicated that lactic acid, ethanol, acetic acid, acetoin, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and 2-3 butanediol were the main metabolites that characterized the evolution of the analyzed cooked ham. The microbiota was monitored by 16S ribosomal RNA gene profiling and culture-dependent techniques. Already at the opening of packages, all the products presented high microbial load, generally dominated by lactic acid bacteria, with evident differences among the products. The increase of lactic acid bacteria somehow protected samples from abundant contamination by other bacteria, concurring with the evolution of more safe products. This role was exerted by numerous Latilactobacillus, Leuconostoc, and Carnobacterium species, among which the most frequently detected were Latilactobacillus sakei, Latilactobacillus sakei carnosum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, and Carnobacterium divergens. Some products presented more complex communities that encompassed Proteobacteria such as Moellerella wisconsensis, Proteus hauseri, Brochothrix thermosphacta, and less frequently Pseudomonas, Erwinia, and Massilia. Opportunistic pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Vibrio sp. were found in small quantities. The yeasts Kazachstania servazzii and Debaryomyces hansenii occurred already at 0 days, whereas various species of Candida (Candida zeylanoides, Candida sake, Candida norvegica, and Candida glaebosa) were abundant only after 12 days. These results indicated that the microbiological contaminants overgrowing during the secondary shelf life did not derive from environmental cross-contamination at the opening of the tray but were already present when the packages were opened, highlighting the phases of production up to the packaging as those crucial in managing the safety risk associated to this product.
Tumor Mutational Burden Associated With Response to Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy

Background Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancer types, especially in Asian countries. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has been shown to improve the progression-free survival among gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastases; however, not all patients demonstrate response to HIPEC. Methods Biomarkers are needed to select patients for effective treatment of HIPEC. Here, we performed whole-exome sequencing on tumor samples from 18 gastric cancer patients who received HIPEC treatment and assessed the association between genomic mutation features and progression-free survival. Exome sequencing was further conducted on tumor samples from additional 15 gastric cancer patients as a replication study. Results The tumor mutational burden (TMB) was significantly higher in the group of patients with a better response to HIPEC treatment than that of the others. Kaplan–Meier survival curve showed that patients with high TMB had a significantly longer survival time than that in patients with low TMB. This discovery was validated in the replication cohort. Genes bearing mutations recurrently and selectively in patients with better response to HIPEC were found in the two cohorts. Conclusion We found that higher TMB is significantly associated with better response to HIPEC. Our results provide useful hints for prognostic stratification of HIPEC treatment.
Increased Variation in Body Weight and Food Intake Is Related to Increased Dietary Fat but Not Increased Carbohydrate or Protein in Mice

A variety of inbred mouse strains have been used for research in metabolic disorders. Despite being inbred, they display large inter-individual variability for many traits like food intake and body weight. However, the relationship between dietary macronutrients and inter-individual variation in body weight and food intake of different mouse strains is still unclear. We investigated the association between macronutrient content of the diet and variations in food intake, body composition, and glucose tolerance by exposing five different mouse strains (C57BL/6, BALB/c, C3H, DBA/2, and FVB) to 24 different diets with variable protein, fat, and carbohydrate contents. We found only increasing dietary fat, but not protein or carbohydrate had a significant association (positive) with variation in both food intake and body weight. The highest variation in both body weight and food intake occurred with 50% dietary fat. However, there were no significant relationships between the variation in fat and lean mass with dietary protein, fat, or carbohydrate levels. In addition, none of the dietary macronutrients had significant impacts on the variation in glucose tolerance ability in C57BL/6 mice. In conclusion, the variations in food intake and body weight changes increased with the elevation of dietary fat levels.
A Plastid-Bound Ankyrin Repeat Protein Controls Gametophyte and Early Embryo Development in Arabidopsis thaliana

Proplastids are essential precursors for multi-fate plastid biogenesis, including chloroplast differentiation, a powerhouse for photosynthesis in plants. Arabidopsis ankyrin repeat protein (AKRP, AT5G66055) is a plastid-localized protein with a putative function in plastid differentiation and morphogenesis. Loss of function of akrp leads to embryo developmental arrest. Whether AKRP is critical pre-fertilization has remained unresolved. Here, using reverse genetics, we report a new allele, akrp-3, that exhibited a reduced frequency of mutant embryos (<13%) compared to previously reported alleles. akrp-3 affected both male and female gametophytes resulting in reduced viability, incompetence in pollen tube attraction, altered gametic cell fate, and embryo arrest that were depleted of chlorophyll. AKRP is widely expressed, and the AKRP-GFP fusion localized to plastids of both gametophytes, in isolated chloroplast and co-localized with a plastid marker in pollen and pollen tubes. Cell-type-specific complementation of akrp-3 hinted at the developmental timing at which AKRP might play an essential role. Our findings provide a plausible insight into the crucial role of AKRP in the differentiation of both gametophytes and coupling embryo development with chlorophyll synthesis.