Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute Inflammation in Traumatic Brain Injury and Polytrauma Patients Using Network Analysis.

INTRODUCTION Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with secondary injury to the central nervous system (CNS) via inflammatory mechanisms. The combination of polytrauma and TBI further exacerbates the inflammatory response to injury; however, combined injury phenomena have not been thoroughly studied. In this study, we examined the inflammatory differences between patients with TBI versus patients with polytrauma, but no TBI (polytrauma). We hypothesize that patients with TBI have a heightened early inflammatory response compared with polytrauma. METHODS We conducted a single-center retrospective study of a cohort of patients with polytrauma, who were enrolled in the PROPPR study. These patients had blood samples prospectively collected at eight time points in the first 3 days of admission. Using radiological data to determine TBI, our polytrauma cohort was dichotomized into TBI (n = 30) or polytrauma (n = 54). Inflammatory biomarkers were measured using ELISA. Data across time were compared for TBI versus polytrauma groups using Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Network analysis techniques were used to systematically characterize the inflammatory responses at admission. RESULTS Patients with TBI (51.6%) had a higher 30-day mortality compared with polytrauma (16.9%) (P <0.001). Expression levels of IL6, IL8, and CCL2 were elevated from the 2-h through 24-h time points, becoming significant at the 6-h time point (IL6, IL8, and CCL2; P <0.05) (Fig. 2). CSF3 showed a similar pattern, but did not attain significance. TBI and polytrauma networks underwent diverging trends from admission to the 6-h time point. CONCLUSION Patients with TBI demonstrated upregulations in proinflammatory cytokines IL6, IL8, and CCL2. Utilizing informatics methods, we were able to identify temporal differences in network trends, as well as uncharacterized cytokines and chemokines in TBI. These data suggest TBI induces a distinct inflammatory response and pathologically heightened inflammatory response in the presence of polytrauma and may propagate worsened patient outcomes including mortality.
Polyphenolic Fraction Obtained From Thalassia testudinum Marine Plant and Thalassiolin B Exert Cytotoxic Effects in Colorectal Cancer Cells and Arrest Tumor Progression in a Xenograft Mouse Model

Marine plants are important sources of pharmacologically active metabolites. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the cytotoxic and antitumor activity of a polyphenolic fraction obtained from Thalassia testudinum marine plant and thalassiolin B in human colorectal cancer cells. Human cancer cell lines, including HCT15, HCT116, SW260, and HT29 were treated with tested products for cytotoxicity evaluation by crystal violet assay. The potential proapoptotic effect of these natural products was assessed by flow cytometry in HCT15 cells at 48 h using Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide. In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was measured by fluorescence using DCFH-DA staining, and sulfhydryl concentration by spectrophotometry. The in vivo antitumor activity of the polyphenolic fraction (25 mg/kg) was evaluated in a xenograft model in nu/nu mice. In vivo proapoptotic effect was also evaluated by immunohistochemistry using anti-caspase 3 and anti-Bcl-2 antibodies. The results showed that tested products exert colorectal cancer cell cytotoxicity. Besides, the tested products induced a significant increase (p < 0.05) of intracellular ROS generation, and a depletion of sulfhydryl concentration in HCT15 cells. The polyphenolic fraction arrested tumor growth and induced apoptosis in the xenograft mice model. These results demonstrate the cytotoxic activity of T. testudinum metabolites associated, at least, with ROS overproduction and pro-apoptotic effects. Here we demonstrated for the first time the antitumor activity of a T. testudinum polar extract in a xenograft mice model. These results suggest the potential use of T. testudinum marine plant metabolites as adjuvant treatment in cancer therapy.
A P3A-Type ATPase and an R2R3-MYB Transcription Factor Are Involved in Vacuolar Acidification and Flower Coloration in Soybean

The determination of flower color mainly depends on the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway and vacuolar pH; however, unlike the former, the mechanism of vacuolar acidification in soybean remains uncharacterized at the molecular level. To investigate this mechanism, we isolated four recessive purple–blue EMS-induced flower mutants from the purple flower soybean cultivar, Pungsannamul. The petals of all the mutants had increased pH compared with those of wild Pungsannamul. One of the mutants had a single nucleotide substitution in GmPH4, a regulator gene encoding an MYB transcription factor, and the substitution resulted in a premature stop codon in its first exon. The other three mutants had nucleotide substitutions in GmPH5, a single new gene that we identified by physical mapping. It corresponds to Glyma.03G262600 in chromosome 3 and encodes a proton pump that belongs to the P3A-ATPase family. The substitutions resulted in a premature stop codon, which may be a defect in the ATP-binding capacity of GmPH5 and possibly a catalytic inefficiency of GmPH5. The result is consistent with their genetic recessiveness as well as the high pH of mutant petals, suggesting that GmPH5 is directly involved in vacuolar acidification. We also found that the expression of GmPH5 and several putative “acidifying” genes in the gmph4 mutant was remarkably reduced, indicating that GmPH4 may regulate the genes involved in determining the vacuolar pH of soybean petals.
Linagliptin Regulates the Mitochondrial Respiratory Reserve to Alter Platelet Activation and Arterial Thrombosis

Background: The pharmacological inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) potentiates incretin action, and DPP-4 is a drug target for type 2 diabetes and reducing cardiovascular risk. However, little is known about the non-enteroendocrine pathways by which DPP-4 might contribute to ischaemic cardiovascular events. Methods: We tested the hypothesis that inhibition of DPP-4 can inhibit platelet activation and arterial thrombosis by preventing platelet mitochondrial dysfunction and release. The effects of pharmacological DPP-4 inhibition on carotid artery thrombosis, platelet aggregation, and platelet mitochondrial respiration signaling pathways were studied in mice. Results: Platelet-dependent arterial thrombosis was significantly delayed in mice treated with high dose of linagliptin, a potent DPP-4 inhibitor, and fed normal chow diet compared to vehicle-treated mice. Thrombin induced DPP-4 expression and activity, and platelets pretreated with linagliptin exhibited reduced thrombin-induced aggregation. Linagliptin blocked phosphodiesterase activity and contrained cyclic AMP reduction when thrombin stimulates platelets. Linagliptin increases the inhibition of platelet aggregation by nitric oxide. The bioenergetics profile revealed that platelets pretreated with linagliptin exhibited decreased oxygen consumption rates in response to thrombin. In transmission electron microscopy, platelets pretreated with linagliptin showed markedly reversed morphological changes in thrombin-activated platelets, including the secretion of α-granules and fewer mitochondria. Conclusion: Collectively, these findings identify distinct roles for DPP-4 in platelet function and arterial thrombosis.
Behavioural weight management interventions for postnatal women: A systematic review of systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials

This systematic review of systematic reviews investigated the effectiveness of lifestyle weight management interventions for postnatal women. We systematically reviewed Medline (PubMed), Embase, CINAHL Plus, The Cochrane Library, and Scopus from 2000 until January 2018, to identify systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effectiveness of behavioural lifestyle interventions for weight management in postnatal women. Results were summarized both descriptively and statistically using a mega meta‐analysis of data from randomized controlled trials included in previous systematic reviews. Nine systematic reviews met our inclusion criteria. Overall the reviews concluded that lifestyle interventions involving physical activity and/or dietary changes resulted in a reduction in postnatal weight. Results from the overall mega meta‐analysis confirmed this finding with a mean difference of −1.7 kg (95% CI, −2.3 to −1.1). Findings for subgroup analyses gave mean differences of −1.9 kg (95% CI, −2.9 to −1.0) for combined diet and physical activity interventions, −1.6 kg (95% CI, −2.1 to −1.2) for physical activity–only interventions, and −9.3 kg (95% CI, −16.5 to −2.1) for diet‐only interventions (one study). Heterogeneity varied from 0% to 68%. Interventions involving lifestyle interventions appeared to be effective in reducing weight in postnatal women, although these findings should be interpreted with some caution due to statistical heterogeneity.
Bone Morphogenetic Protein Signaling Restricts Proximodistal Extension of the Ventral Fin Fold

Unpaired fins, which are the most ancient form of locomotory appendages in chordates, had emerged at least 500 million years ago. While it has been suggested that unpaired fins and paired fins share structural similarities, cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the outgrowth of the former have not been fully elucidated yet. Using the ventral fin fold in zebrafish as a model, here, we investigate how the outgrowth of the unpaired fin is modulated. We show that Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) signaling restricts extension of the ventral fin fold along the proximodistal axis by modulating diverse aspects of cellular behaviors. We find that lack of BMP signaling, either caused by genetic or chemical manipulation, prolongs the proliferative capacity of epithelial cells and substantially increases the number of cells within the ventral fin fold. In addition, inhibition of BMP signaling attenuates the innate propensity of cell division along the anteroposterior axis and shifts the orientation of cell division toward the proximodistal axis. Moreover, abrogating BMP signaling appears to induce excessive distal migration of cells within the ventral fin fold, and therefore precipitates extension along the proximodistal axis. Taken together, our data suggest that BMP signaling restricts the outgrowth of the ventral fin fold during zebrafish development.
Antecedents of Webrooming in Omnichannel Retailing

Although webrooming has become common practice in omnichannel consumer behavior, only a few empirical studies have managed to shed light on the phenomenon. With this research work, we aim to investigate important antecedents of webrooming. We base our conceptual framework on anticipated utility theory and expect that customers’ anticipated utility from using the physical store versus the online store for purchase can be predicted by four groups of antecedents: psychographic variables, shopping motivations, channel-related variables, and product-related variables. With the help of a data set from a large cross-national online survey in which 1497 customers reconstruct their last purchase journey, we differentiate webroomers from pure online shoppers. In addition, we disentangle customers who used retailer-owned, competitor-owned, and independent touchpoints along the search and purchase phase of the customer journey in order to characterize webroomers in an omnichannel context and assess their prevalence in different countries and industries. Our insights on the characteristics and antecedents of webrooming help retailers to detect and better understand the psychology behind the webrooming phenomenon from a consumer perspective in an omnichannel retailing environment. In addition, results from our exploratory analysis on the positive association between webrooming and customer spending contribute to research and practice by providing first evidence on the economic value of webrooming.
Determinants of Preventive Behaviors in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in France: Comparing the Sociocultural, Psychosocial, and Social Cognitive Explanations

In absence of effective pharmaceutical treatments, the individual's compliance with a series of behavioral recommendations provided by the public health authorities play a critical role in the control and prevention of SARS-CoV2 infection. However, we still do not know much about the rate and determinants of adoption of the recommended health behaviors. This paper examines the compliance with the main behavioral recommendations, and compares sociocultural, psychosocial, and social cognitive explanations for its variation in the French population. Based on the current literature, these 3 categories of factors were identified as potential determinants of individual differences in the health preventive behaviors. The data used for these analyses are drawn from 2 cross-sectional studies (N = 2,000 in survey 1 and 2,003 in survey 2) conducted after the lockdown and before the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic in France. The participants were drawn from a larger internet consumer panel where recruitment was stratified to generate a socio-demographically representative sample of the French adult population. Overall, the results show a very high rate of compliance with the behavioral recommendations among the participants. A hierarchical regression analysis was then performed to assess the potential explanatory power of these approaches in complying with these recommendations by successively entering sociocultural factors, psychosocial factors, social cognitive factors in the model. Only the inclusion of the cognitive variables substantially increased the explained variance of the self-reported adoption of preventive behaviors (R2 change = 23% in survey 1 and 2), providing better support for the social cognitive than the sociocultural and psychosocial explanations.
Motor Function Relating to the Accuracy of Self-Overestimation Error in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Background: Older adults often overestimate their motor performance, which represents a serious safety hazard. The cause of this self-overestimation is to date, not yet fully established. Thus, the present study aimed to reveal the factors associated with self-overestimation by focusing on motor function. Methods: This study included 105 community-dwelling older adults [20 males, median (25, 75 percentile) age: 73.00 (69.50, 77.50)]. Participants were assessed for errors in their self-estimation using a two-step test. They estimated the two-step distance that could be reached with maximum effort. Thereafter, they performed the actual two-step action. Participants were comprehensively assessed for motor function by various tests (i.e., 10-meter Walking Test, Timed Up and Go Test, postural stability, and muscle strength). They were then divided into two groups (the self-underestimation or self-overestimation group) and their motor performances were compared. Multiple linear regression analysis was then utilized to investigate the relationship between self-estimation error and motor function. Results: Significant differences were found between the two groups regarding age, weight, actual two-step distance, and the time required for the Timed Up and Go Test and 10-meter Walking Test (p < 0.05). The regression analysis showed that self-estimation error was significantly related to the result of the 10-meter Walking Test (beta = 0.24, p = 0.011). Conclusions: The self-overestimation of motor performance, which is likely to lead to several dangers (i.e., falling or obstacle collision), was related to walking ability. Consequently, the results showed that the 10-meter Walking Test would assist in detecting the self-overestimation of motor performance.
Quantitative Genetics of Growth Rate and Filet Quality Traits in Atlantic Salmon Inferred From a Longitudinal Bayesian Model for the Left-Censored Gaussian Trait Growth Rate

In selective breeding programs for Atlantic salmon, test fish are slaughtered at an average body weight where growth rate and carcass traits as filet fat (FF), filet pigment (FP) and visceral fat index (FF) are recorded. The objective of this study was to obtain estimates of genetic correlations between growth rate (GR), and the three carcass quality traits when fish from the same 206 families (offspring of 120 sires and 206 dams from 2 year-classes) were recorded both at the same age (SA) and about the same body weight (SW). In the SW group, the largest fish were slaughtered at five different slaughter events and the remaining fish at the sixth slaughter event over 6 months. Estimates of genetic parameters for the traits were obtained from a Bayesian multivariate model for (potentially) truncated Gaussian traits through a Gibbs sampler procedure in which phantom GR values were obtained for the unslaughtered, and thus censored SW group fish at each slaughter event. The heritability estimates for the same trait in each group was similar; about 0.2 for FF, 0.15 for FP and 0.35 for VF and GR. The genetic correlation between the same traits in the two groups was high for growth rate (0.91 ± 0.05) visceral index (0.86 ± 0.05), medium for filet fat (0.45 ± 0.17) and low for filet pigment (0.13 ± 0.27). Within the two groups, the genetic correlation between growth rate and filet fat changed from positive (0.59 ± 0.14) for the SA group to negative (−0.45 ± 0.17) for the SW group, while the genetic correlation between growth rate and filet pigment changed from negative (−0.33 ± 0.22) for the SA group to positive (0.62 ± 0.16) for the SW group. The genetic correlation of growth rate with FF and FP is sensitive to whether the latter traits are measured at the same age or the same body weight. The results indicate that selection for increased growth rate is not expected to have a detrimental effect on the quality traits if increased growth potential is realized through a reduced production time.
Acute Kidney Injury Associated With Urinary Stone Disease in Children and Young Adults Presenting to a Pediatric Emergency Department

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) due to urinary stone disease (USD) is rare in adults; AKI rates in children with USD may be higher, and emerging data links stones to chronic kidney disease (CKD) development in adults. Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of USD patients at a single pediatric hospital system's emergency department (ED). Patients were initially identified by USD ICD codes; USD was then confirmed by imaging or physician documentation; patients had to have baseline creatinine (Cr) and Cr in the ED for comparison to be included. AKI was defined by Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO), Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN), and Pediatric Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End Stage (pRIFLE). Results: Of the 589 total visits, 264/589 (45%) had data to evaluate for AKI, 23% were AKI(+) and 77% were AKI(–). pRIFLE was most common (82%) and 18% were only positive by AKIN/KDIGO. AKI(+) were more likely to be younger (16.7 vs. 17.4 years, p = 0.046) and more likely to present with vomiting {odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 2.4 [1.4–4.3], p = 0.002}; also, the proportion of AKI(+) was significantly higher in <18 vs. ≥18 years [26.9 vs. 15.5%, p = 0.032, OR (95% CI): 2.0 (1.1–3.9)]. Urinary tract infection (UTI) and obstruction rates were similar between groups. AKI(+) patients had a significant OR <1 suggesting less risk of receiving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); however, 51% of them did receive NSAIDs during their ED encounter. AKI(+) patients were more likely to require admission to the hospital (53 vs. 32%, p = 0.001). Conclusion: We have demonstrated a novel association between USD-induced renal colic and AKI in a group of young adults and children. AKI(+) patients were younger and were more likely to present with vomiting. AKI(+) patients did not have higher rates of obstruction or UTI, and 51% of AKI(+) received NSAIDs.
GFOGER Peptide Modifies the Protein Content of Extracellular Vesicles and Inhibits Vascular Calcification

Objective Vascular calcification (VC) is an active process during which vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) undergo an osteogenic switch and release extracellular vesicles (EVs). In turn, the EVs serve as calcification foci via interaction with type 1 collagen (COL1). We recently showed that a specific, six-amino-acid repeat (GFOGER) in the sequence of COL1 was involved in the latter’s interaction with integrins expressed on EVs. Our main objective was to test the GFOGER ability to inhibit VC. Approach We synthesized the GFOGER peptide and tested its ability to inhibit the inorganic phosphate (Pi)-induced calcification of VSMCs and aortic rings. Using mass spectrometry, we studied GFOGER’s effect on the protein composition of EVs released from Pi-treated VSMCs. Results Calcification of mouse VSMCs (MOVAS-1 cells), primary human VSMCs, and rat aortic rings was lower in the presence of GFOGER than with Pi alone (with relative decreases of 66, 58, and 91%, respectively; p < 0.001 for all) (no effect was observed with the scramble peptide GOERFG). A comparative proteomic analysis of EVs released from MOVAS-1 cells in the presence or absence of Pi highlighted significant differences in EVs’ protein content. Interestingly, the expression of some of the EVs’ proteins involved in the calcification process (such as osteogenic markers, TANK-binding kinase 1, and casein kinase II) was diminished in the presence of GFOGER peptide (data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD018169∗). The decrease of osteogenic marker expression observed in the presence of GFOGER was confirmed by q-RT-PCR analysis. Conclusion GFOGER peptide reduces vascular calcification by modifying the protein content of the subsequently released EVs, in particular by decreasing osteogenicswitching in VSMCs.