Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Induces SASP-Associated Gene Expression in Human Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells but Does Not Promote Cell Senescence

Activation of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is a central part of tissue response to damage. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB), which is abundantly released in the damaged area, potently stimulates the proliferation and migration of MSCs. Recent evidence indicates that tissue injury is associated with the accumulation of senescent cells, including ones of MSC origin. Therefore, we hypothesized that PDGF-BB induces MSC senescence. To evaluate mechanisms of early activation of MSCs by PDGF-BB, we performed transcriptome profiling of human MSCs isolated from adipose tissue after exposure to PDGF-BB for 12 and 24 h. We demonstrated that PDGF-BB induced the expression of several genes encoding the components of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in MSCs such as plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), urokinase-type plasminogen activator and its receptor (uPA and uPAR), and some matrix metalloproteases. However, further experimental validation of transcriptomic data clearly indicated that PDGF-BB exerted mitogenic and pro-migratory effects on MSCs, and augmented their pro-angiogenic activity, but did not significantly stimulate MSC senescence.
Metabolic and Transcriptional Adaptations Improve Physical Performance of Zebrafish

Obesity is a worldwide public health problem with increasing prevalence and affects 80% of diabetes mellitus type 2 cases. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an established model organism for studying obesity and diabetes including diabetic microvascular complications. We aimed to determine whether physical activity is an appropriate tool to examine training effects in zebrafish and to analyse metabolic and transcriptional processes in trained zebrafish. A 2- and 8-week experimental training phase protocol with adult zebrafish in a swim tunnel system was established. We examined zebrafish basic characteristics before and after training such as body weight, body length and maximum speed and considered overfeeding as an additional parameter in the 8-weeks training protocol. Ultimately, the effects of training and overfeeding on blood glucose, muscle core metabolism and liver gene expression using RNA-Seq were investigated. Zebrafish maximum speed was correlated with body length and was significantly increased after 2 weeks of training. Maximum swim speed further increased after 8 weeks of training in both the normal-fed and the overfed groups, but training was found not to be sufficient in preventing weight gain in overfed fish. Metabolome and transcriptome profiling in trained fish exhibited increased blood glucose levels in the short-term and upregulated energy supply pathways as well as response to oxidative stress in the long-term. In conclusion, swim training is a valuable tool to study the effects of physical activity in zebrafish, which is accompanied by metabolic and transcriptional adaptations.
Oxidative Quality of Dairy Powders: Influencing Factors and Analysis

Lipid oxidation (LO) is a primary cause of quality deterioration in fat-containing dairy powders and is often used as an estimation of a products shelf-life and consumer acceptability. The LO process produces numerous volatile organic compounds (VOC) including aldehydes, ketones and alcohols, which are known to contribute to the development of off-flavours in dairy powders. The main factors influencing the oxidative state of dairy powders and the various analytical techniques used to detect VOC as indicators of LO in dairy powders are outlined. As the ability to identify and quantify specific VOC associated with LO improves this review highlights how these techniques can be used in conjunction with olfactory and sensory analysis to better understand product specific LO processes with the aim of maximizing shelf-life without compromising quality.
The Inhibitory Receptor GPR56 (Adgrg1) Is Specifically Expressed by Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells in Mice But Dispensable for Their Differentiation and Function In Vivo

Tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells with potent antiviral and antibacterial functions protect the epithelial and mucosal surfaces of our bodies against infection with pathogens. The strong proinflammatory activities of TRM cells suggest requirement for expression of inhibitory molecules to restrain these memory T cells under steady state conditions. We previously identified the adhesion G protein-coupled receptor GPR56 as an inhibitory receptor of human cytotoxic lymphocytes that regulates their cytotoxic effector functions. Here, we explored the expression pattern, expression regulation, and function of GPR56 on pathogen-specific CD8+ T cells using two infection models. We observed that GPR56 is expressed on TRM cells during acute infection and is upregulated by the TRM cell-inducing cytokine TGF-β and the TRM cell-associated transcription factor Hobit. However, GPR56 appeared dispensable for CD8+ T-cell differentiation and function upon acute infection with LCMV as well as Listeria monocytogenes. Thus, TRM cells specifically acquire the inhibitory receptor GPR56, but the impact of this receptor on TRM cells after acute infection does not appear essential to regulate effector functions of TRM cells.
Gene Network Analysis of Alzheimer’s Disease Based on Network and Statistical Methods

Gene network associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is constructed from multiple data sources by considering gene co-expression and other factors. The AD gene network is divided into modules by Cluster one, Markov Clustering (MCL), Community Clustering (Glay) and Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE). Then these division methods are evaluated by network structure entropy, and optimal division method, MCODE. Through functional enrichment analysis, the functional module is identified. Furthermore, we use network topology properties to predict essential genes. In addition, the logical regression algorithm under Bayesian framework is used to predict essential genes of AD. Based on network pharmacology, four kinds of AD’s herb-active compounds-active compound targets network and AD common core network are visualized, then the better herbs and herb compounds of AD are selected through enrichment analysis.
Polysaccharide from Patinopecten yessoensis Skirt Boosts Immune Response via Modulation of Gut Microbiota and Short-Chain Fatty Acids Metabolism in Mice

Polysaccharide from marine shellfish has various bioactivities. In this study, the effects of polysaccharide from Patinopecten yessoensis skirt (PS) on boosting immune response in mice were evaluated, and the potential mechanisms were explored. The results showed that PS administration effectively increased the serum IgG and IgM levels, implying that PS had immune response-boosting properties. Moreover, PS administration could modulate the composition of the gut microbiota, and significantly improve short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) metabolism, especially butyrate metabolism. Of note, the expression of the Tlr2, Tlr7, MyD88, Tnfa, and Il1b genes in toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway was significantly increased. In summary, PS could boost immune response by modulating the gut microbiota and SCFAs metabolism correlating with the activation of the TLR signaling pathway. Therefore, PS can be developed as a special ingredient for functional product.
Development and Validation of 3 Min Incremental Step-In-Place Test for Predicting Maximal Oxygen Uptake in Home Settings: A Submaximal Exercise Study to Assess Cardiorespiratory Fitness

The purpose of this research was to develop the 3 min incremental step-in-place (3MISP) test for predicting maximal oxygen uptake (V.O2max). A total of 205 adults (20–64 years) completed the 3MISP and V.O2max tests. Using age, gender, body composition (BC) including percent body fat (PBF) or body mass index (BMI), and with or without heart rate (HR) at the beginning of exercise (HR0) or difference between HR at the third minute during the exercise and the first minute post exercise (ΔHR3 − HR4) in the 3MISP test, six V.O2max prediction models were derived from multiple linear regression. Age (r = −0.239), gender (r = 0.430), BMI (r = −0.191), PBF (r = −0.706), HR0 (r = −0.516), and ΔHR3 − HR4 (r = 0.563) were significantly correlated to V.O2max. Among the six V.O2max prediction models, the PBF model∆HR3 − HR4 has the highest accuracy. The simplest models with age, gender, and PBF/BMI explained 54.5% of the V.O2max in the PBF modelBC and 39.8% of that in the BMI modelBC. The addition of HR0 and ∆HR3 − HR4 increases the variance of V.O2max explained by the PBF and BMI models∆HR3 − HR4 by 17.98% and 45.23%, respectively, while standard errors of estimate decrease by 10.73% and 15.61%. These data demonstrate that the models established using 3MISP-HR data can enhance the accuracy of V.O2max prediction.
Foreign Language Training to Stimulate Cognitive Functions

Adult development throughout a lifetime implies a series of changes in systems, including cognitive and linguistic functioning. The aim of this article is to study the effect of foreign language training on linguistic processing, particularly the frequency of the tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) phenomenon and on other cognitive processes such as processing speed and working memory in adults aged 40 to 60 years. Sixty-six healthy Colombian teachers were enrolled in this study. They were then randomly divided into an experimental group (33 healthy adults who underwent a four-week training period) and a passive control group (33 healthy adults who did not undergo any training). All participants performed induction tasks for the TOT phenomenon, working memory and processing speed before and after the four weeks. Results showed more of an effect in the semantic access, phonological access and processing speed measures with a better performance in the experimental group than in the control group. In Colombia, this type of training is still new and little is known to date about programs to prevent cognitive impairments. The need to conduct more studies confirming or refuting these findings is discussed, thus raising awareness about the extent of this type of training to increase the linguistic and cognitive performance of adults.
Novel Synthesized N-Ethyl-Piperazinyl-Amides of C2-Substituted Oleanonic and Ursonic Acids Exhibit Cytotoxic Effects through Apoptotic Cell Death Regulation

A series of novel hybrid chalcone N-ethyl-piperazinyl amide derivatives of oleanonic and ursonic acids were synthesized, and their cytotoxic potential was evaluated in vitro against the NCI-60 cancer cell line panel. Compounds 4 and 6 exhibited the highest overall anticancer activity, with GI50 values in some cases reaching nanomolar values. Thus, the two compounds were further assessed in detail in order to identify a possible apoptosis- and antiangiogenic-based mechanism of action induced by the assessed compounds. DAPI staining revealed that both compounds induced nuclei condensation and overall cell morphological changes consistent with apoptotic cell death. rtPCR analysis showed that up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bak gene combined with the down-regulation of the pro-survival Bcl-XL and Bcl-2 genes caused altered ratios between the pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic proteins’ levels, leading to overall induced apoptosis. Molecular docking analysis revealed that both compounds exhibited high scores for Bcl-XL inhibition, suggesting that compounds may induce apoptotic cell death through targeted anti-apoptotic protein inhibition, as well. Ex vivo determinations showed that both compounds did not significantly alter the angiogenesis process on the tested cell lines.
Deep Coupling Recurrent Auto-Encoder with Multi-Modal EEG and EOG for Vigilance Estimation

Vigilance estimation of drivers is a hot research field of current traffic safety. Wearable devices can monitor information regarding the driver’s state in real time, which is then analyzed by a data analysis model to provide an estimation of vigilance. The accuracy of the data analysis model directly affects the effect of vigilance estimation. In this paper, we propose a deep coupling recurrent auto-encoder (DCRA) that combines electroencephalography (EEG) and electrooculography (EOG). This model uses a coupling layer to connect two single-modal auto-encoders to construct a joint objective loss function optimization model, which consists of single-modal loss and multi-modal loss. The single-modal loss is measured by Euclidean distance, and the multi-modal loss is measured by a Mahalanobis distance of metric learning, which can effectively reflect the distance between different modal data so that the distance between different modes can be described more accurately in the new feature space based on the metric matrix. In order to ensure gradient stability in the long sequence learning process, a multi-layer gated recurrent unit (GRU) auto-encoder model was adopted. The DCRA integrates data feature extraction and feature fusion. Relevant comparative experiments show that the DCRA is better than the single-modal method and the latest multi-modal fusion. The DCRA has a lower root mean square error (RMSE) and a higher Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC).
Inequalities in Mortality and Access to Hospital Care for Cervical Cancer—An Ecological Study

Cervical cancer is the second most common form of cancer in the world among women, and it is estimated to be the third most frequent cancer in Brazil, as well as the fourth leading cause of death from cancer. There is a difference in cervical cancer mortality rates among different administrative regions in Brazil along with an inadequate distribution of cancer centers in certain Brazilian regions. Herein, we analyze the trends in hospital admission and mortality rates for CC between 2000 and 2012. This population-based ecological study evaluated the temporal trend in cervical cancer between the years 2000 and 2012, stratifying by Brazilian administrative regions. The North and Northeast regions had no reduction in mortality in all age groups studied (25 to 64 years); when analyzing hospitalization rates, only the age group of 50 to 64 years from the North Region did not present a reduction. During the years studied, in the South Region, the age group ranging from 50 to 54 years had the greatest reduction in mortality rates (β = −0.59, p = 0.001, r2 = 0.63), and the group ranging from 45 to 49 years had the greatest reduction in hospital admission rates (β = −8.87, p = 0.025, r2 = 0.37). Between the years 2000 and 2012, the greatest reduction in the incidence of UCC was in the South Region (β = −1.43, p = 0.236, r2 = 0.12) followed by the Central-West (β = −1, p < 0.001, r2 = 0.84), the Southeast (β = −0.95, p < 0.001, r2 = 0.88), the Northeast (β = −0.67, p = 0.080, r2 = 0.25), and, finally, by the North (β = −0.42, p = 0.157, r2 = 0.17). There was a greater reduction in mortality rates and global hospitalization rates for CC in Brazil than in the United States during the same period with exceptions only in Brazil’s North and Northeast regions.
Sleep-Related Rhythmic Movement Disorder in Young Children with Down Syndrome: Prevalence and Clinical Features

Sleep-related Rhythmic Movement Disorder (RMD) affects around 1% of UK pre-school children. Little is known about RMD in Down syndrome (DS). We aimed to determine: (a) the prevalence of RMD in children with DS aged 1.5–8 years; (b) phenotypic and sleep quality differences between children with DS and RMD and sex- and age-matched DS controls; and (c) night-to-night variability in rhythmic movements (RMs). Parents who previously reported RMs from a DS research registry of 202 children were contacted. If clinical history suggested RMD, home videosomnography (3 nights) was used to confirm RMs and actigraphy (5 nights) was used to assess sleep quality. Phenotype was explored by demographic, strengths and difficulties, Q-CHAT-10/social communication and life events questionnaires. Eight children had confirmed RMD. Minimal and estimated maximal prevalence were 4.10% and 15.38%, respectively. Sleep efficiency was significantly lower in RMD-cases (69.1%) versus controls (85.2%), but there were no other phenotypic differences. There was considerable intra-individual night-to-night variability in RMs. In conclusion, RMD has a high prevalence in children with DS, varies from night to night and is associated with poor sleep quality but, in this small sample, no daytime phenotypic differences were found compared to controls. Children with DS should be screened for RMD, which is amenable to treatment.
Large Eddy Simulation of Premixed CH4/Air Deflagration in a Duct with Obstacles at Different Heights

In this work, the propagation of CH4/air deflagration flames in three semi-confined ducts with different obstacles was numerically investigated using large eddy simulation (LES). The shape of the premixed flame, flow field structure, and overpressure characteristics of the interaction between the flame and the obstacle are simulated accurately in three ducts with obstacles of different heights. The results show that the structure of the flame is changed by the presence of obstacles, and a change in the shape of the hemispherical conical brush appears, and a flame vortex is generated by the entrapment of unburned premixed gas on the left side of the obstacles. In the process of CH4/air deflagration, the existence of obstacles would lead to the change in combustion velocity and overpressure relief velocity and then have a certain influence on the peak of overpressure and the shape of the premixed flame.
Genome-Wide Association Study on Adiponectin-Mediated Suppression of HDL-C Levels in Taiwanese Individuals Identifies Functional Haplotypes in CDH13

CDH13 encodes T-cadherin, which is expressed in the vasculature and cardiac myocytes and is the receptor for hexameric and high-molecular-weight adiponectin. The CDH13 region is the most pivotal locus associated with adiponectin level. Mediation analysis is a method to explore the effect of a third variable, it is assumed that the magnitude of the relationship between the independent and dependent variables will be reduced by statistical adjustment for a third variable. In addition, mediation can further occur in the case when the mediator acts as a pathway-suppressor variable that means a suppression effect may be suggested if the statistical removal of a mediation effect could increase the magnitude of the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Here, we aimed to explore the suppression effect in a genome-wide association study, and investigate possible mechanisms that may link adiponectin to CDH13 variants and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Genome-wide association data for adiponectin and HDL-C were accessible for 2349 Taiwan-biobank participants. The mediation analysis was conducted with the CDH13 lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs4783244. The cloned constructs of CDH13 haplotypes (GG and TT) identified from the rs4783244 G/T and rs12051272 G/T SNPs were transiently expressed in HEK293T cells and investigated using the luciferase reporter assay. Genome-wide association analysis showed that HDL-C is significantly associated with variants in CDH13 after adjusting for the adiponectin level. The lead SNP rs4783244 was significantly associated with lower adiponectin levels and exhibited a suppression effect on HDL-C when adiponectin was included as a third factor in the mediation analysis. Luciferase reporter assay results further demonstrated that the GG haplotype increased enhancer activity, whereas the haplotype TT significantly reduced the activity of this enhancer. We present the first evidence of the suppressive role of adiponectin in the genome-wide association between CDH13 and HDL-C. CDH13 may increase the HDL-C levels, and its expression is suppressed by adiponectin.
TMEM16A, a Homoharringtonine Receptor, as a Potential Endogenic Target for Lung Cancer Treatment

Lung cancer has the highest rate of incidence and mortality among all cancers. Most chemotherapeutic drugs used to treat lung cancer cause serious side effects and are susceptible to drug resistance. Therefore, exploring novel therapeutic targets for lung cancer is important. In this study, we evaluated the potential of TMEM16A as a drug target for lung cancer. Homoharringtonine (HHT) was identified as a novel natural product inhibitor of TMEM16A. Patch-clamp experiments showed that HHT inhibited TMEM16A activity in a concentration-dependent manner. HHT significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of lung cancer cells with high TMEM16A expression but did not affect the growth of normal lung cells in the absence of TMEM16A expression. In vivo experiments showed that HHT inhibited the growth of lung tumors in mice and did not reduce their body weight. Finally, the molecular mechanism through which HHT inhibits lung cancer was explored by western blotting. The findings showed that HHT has the potential to regulate TMEM16A activity both in vitro and in vivo and could be a new lead compound for the development of anti-lung-cancer drugs.
Relationships of Ischemic Stroke Occurrence and Outcome with Gene Variants Encoding Enzymes of Tryptophan Metabolism

Ischemic stroke is among the leading causes of mortality and long-term disability worldwide. Among stroke risk factors the importance of genetic background is gaining interest. There is a growing body of evidence of changes of metabolite levels and enzyme activities involved in the conversion of Trp during the course of cerebral ischemia. We compared the frequencies of ten SNPs of five genes related to Trp metabolism between groups of 122 ischemic stroke patients and 120 control individuals. Furthermore, we examined the mRNA levels of TPH1, IDO1 and KYAT1 genes in peripheral venous blood with the aim of assessing (i) whether there are changes in their expression during the course of stroke and (ii) does any of their investigated SNPs have an impact on gene expression. In seven cases out of ten studied polymorphisms we detected significant differences in frequencies in relation to ischemic stroke occurrence, etiology, and clinical parameters. We also detected changes in the expression of TPH1 and IDO1 genes during the course of the disease. We found that those IDO1 variants which show a trend towards elevated mRNA level are more frequent in stroke patients than in controls. Our results are important novel observations which suggest a causal relationship between elevated IDO1 expression and stroke etiology.