Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Modified Simple Scoring System Using the Red Blood Cell Distribution Width, Delta Neutrophil Index, and Mean Platelet Volume-to-Platelet Count to Predict 28-Day Mortality in Patients With Sepsis

Background: Recently, a new scoring system was developed that uses the red blood cell distribution width (RDW), delta neutrophil index (DNI), and platelet count (PC) to predict mortality in patients with sepsis. We investigated whether a modified simple scoring system based on the RDW, DNI, and mean platelet volume-to-PC (MPV/PC) ratio could predict the mortality of patients with sepsis, and compared it to the previous scoring system. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 264 adults who had been treated for sepsis in an emergency department between January 2016 and February 2019. Each patient was rated on a scale of 0 to 3 according to the modified scoring system. Point values were assigned based on RDW > 14.5%, DNI > 5.0%, and MPV/PC ratio >10.1. Results: The 28-day mortality rate was 14.4%. Those who died had higher scores than those who survived (mean: 1.55 ± 0.92 vs 0.93 ± 0.78, P < .001). The area under the curve for the new scoring system was higher than that of the previous scoring system (0.685 vs 0.645). Conclusion: The modified scoring system was a good predictor of the 28-day mortality and was more useful than the previous scoring system for predicting mortality in patients with sepsis.
Pharmacological Treatments for Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression

Over a third of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) do not have an adequate response to first-line antidepressant treatments, i.e., they have treatment-resistant depression (TRD). These patients tend to have a more severe course of illness and are at an increased risk of suicide. Next step treatment options for patients with TRD, include switching to a different antidepressant, combining more than one antidepressant, or augmenting an antidepressant with another (non-antidepressant) medication. It is unclear which of these treatment approaches should be applied to a given patient, and in what order. Due to this ambiguity, comparing antidepressants and augmentation agents on the basis of their efficacy, tolerability, and speed of symptom relief would be beneficial for clinicians. To accomplish this, a systematic search was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Only randomized controlled trials were included in this qualitative synthesis, resulting in 66 articles. This review identified several effective pharmaco-therapeutic strategies that are currently available for patients with TRD. Ketamine and esketamine appear to be effective for the treatment of TRD. Augmentation with certain second generation antipsychotics, such as quetiapine or aripiprazole is likewise effective, and may be preferred over switching to antidepressant monotherapy. While the combination of olanzapine and fluoxetine was one of the first pharmacotherapy approved for TRD, and its use may be limited by metabolic side-effects. Other effective strategies include augmentation with lithium, liothyronine (T3), lamotrigine, or combination of antidepressants including bupropion, tricyclics, or mirtazapine. There is insufficient research to demonstrate the efficacy of ziprasidone or levothyroxine (T4). A shared decision-making approach is recommended to guide treatment selection to address each patient’s individual needs.
Variety features differentiate microbiota in the grape leaves.

The dependence of plant health and crop quality on the epiphytic microbial community has been universally addressed, but little is known about plant-associated microbial communities under natural conditions. In this study, the bacterial and fungal communities on grape leaves were analyzed by bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) high-throughput sequencing. The results showed differences in the composition of microbial communities among leaf samples of nine varieties of wine grapes. The most abundant bacterial genus with Pseudomonas were Zinfandel (22.6%), Syrah (21.6%), and Merlot (13.5%). The most abundant fungal genus was Alternaria, and the cultivar with the lowest Alternaria abundance was Syrah (33.6%), indicating these communities had different habitat-preferences. The Linear Discriminant Analysis Effect Size of all species showed that the bacteria Enterococcus, Massilia, Kocuria, Pseudomonadales and Pantoea were significantly enriched in Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, respectively, while Bacillus, Turicibacter and Romboutsia were significantly enriched in Pinot Noir. Similarly, the fungi Cladosporium, Phoma and Sporormiella was significantly enriched in Zinfandel, Lon and Gem respectively. The findings indicate that some beneficial or harmful microorganisms existing on the wine grape leaves might affect the health of the grape plants and the wine-making process.
gutMDisorder: a comprehensive database for dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in disorders and interventions

gutMDisorder (http://bio-annotation.cn/gutMDisorder), a manually curated database, aims at providing a comprehensive resource of dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in disorders and interventions. Alterations in the composition of the gut microbial community play crucial roles in the development of chronic disorders. And the beneficial effects of drugs, foods and other intervention measures on disorders could be microbially mediated. The current version of gutMDisorder documents 2263 curated associations between 579 gut microbes and 123 disorders or 77 intervention measures in Human, and 930 curated associations between 273 gut microbes and 33 disorders or 151 intervention measures in Mouse. Each entry in the gutMDisorder contains detailed information on an association, including an intestinal microbe, a disorder name, intervention measures, experimental technology and platform, characteristic of samples, web sites for downloading the sequencing data, a brief description of the association, a literature reference, and so on. gutMDisorder provides a user-friendly interface to browse, retrieve each entry using gut microbes, disorders, and intervention measures. It also offers pages for downloading all the entries and submitting new experimentally validated associations.
Numerical Study of Concrete Mesostructure Effect on Lamb Wave Propagation

The article presents the results of the numerical investigation of Lamb wave propagation in concrete plates while taking into account the complex concrete mesostructure. Several concrete models with randomly distributed aggregates were generated with the use of the Monte Carlo method. The influence of aggregate ratio and particle size on dispersion curves representing Lamb wave modes was analyzed. The results obtained for heterogeneous concrete models were compared with theoretical results for homogeneous concrete characterized by the averaged macroscopic material parameters. The analysis indicated that not only do the averaged material parameters influence the dispersion solution, but also the amount and size of aggregate particles. The study shows that Lamb waves propagate with different velocities in homogeneous and heterogeneous models and the difference increases with aggregate ratio and particle size, which is a particularly important observation for wave-based diagnostic methods devoted to concrete structures.
Influence of Heat on κ-Casein

Abstract An aqueous solution of κ -casein at pH 7 is not affected by heating (100C for 5min). If, however, sodium chloride (0.05m) or other salts are present the κ -casein is labile to heat, judged by loss of ability to stabilize α s -casein against precipitation by calcium ions. In experiments at several pH values (6.2 to 7.9) in sodium chloride-imidazole buffer the heat lability was somewhat greater at the lower pH values. At pH 6.2 about 75% of the κ -casein precipitated when the solution was heated. This did not occur in sodium chloride alone or in cacodylate buffer at pH 6.2. The κ -casein in solutions (pH 6.2) containing 0.01 m CaCl 2 did precipitate when they were heated. Reducing compounds like mercaptoethanol alone had little or no effect on the heat lability of κ -casein; when present with salts, however, the combined effect was greater than that of the salts alone. Mercaptoethanol, cysteine, and dithiothreitol enhanced the heat lability. The dithiothreitol was effective at a concentration of 5×10 −5 m. κ -Casein, reduced and stabilized by alkylation, was somewhat heat labile in sodium chloride-imidazole buffer, but this lability was not enhanced by addition of mercaptoethanol.
ALS/FTD mutations in UBQLN2 impede autophagy by reducing autophagosome acidification through loss of function

Significance Mutations in UBQLN2 cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD). UBQLN2 regulates proteostasis by clearing misfolded proteins from cells through the proteasome and autophagy degradation pathways. Here, we report on defects in autophagy that results from knockout or expression of WT and ALS/FTD mutant UBQLN2 proteins in cells and mice. We show that loss of UBQLN2 reduces expression of ATP6v1g1, a critical subunit of the ATPase pump that regulates vacuolar acidification and is required for the maturation of autophagosomes. We show that WT but not ALS/FTD mutant UBQLN2 proteins can rescue the acidification defect. Furthermore, WT but not ALS/FTD mutant UBQLN2 proteins bind and stimulate ATP6v1g1 biogenesis, suggesting an important role played by UBQLN2 in V-ATPase regulation. Mutations in UBQLN2 cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other neurodegenerations. However, the mechanism by which the UBQLN2 mutations cause disease remains unclear. Alterations in proteins involved in autophagy are prominent in neuronal tissue of human ALS UBQLN2 patients and in a transgenic P497S UBQLN2 mouse model of ALS/FTD, suggesting a pathogenic link. Here, we show UBQLN2 functions in autophagy and that ALS/FTD mutant proteins compromise this function. Inactivation of UBQLN2 expression in HeLa cells reduced autophagic flux and autophagosome acidification. The defect in acidification was rescued by reexpression of wild type (WT) UBQLN2 but not by any of the five different UBQLN2 ALS/FTD mutants tested. Proteomic analysis and immunoblot studies revealed P497S mutant mice and UBQLN2 knockout HeLa and NSC34 cells have reduced expression of ATP6v1g1, a critical subunit of the vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) pump. Knockout of UBQLN2 expression in HeLa cells decreased turnover of ATP6v1g1, while overexpression of WT UBQLN2 increased biogenesis of ATP6v1g1 compared with P497S mutant UBQLN2 protein. In vitro interaction studies showed that ATP6v1g1 binds more strongly to WT UBQLN2 than to ALS/FTD mutant UBQLN2 proteins. Intriguingly, overexpression of ATP6v1g1 in UBQLN2 knockout HeLa cells increased autophagosome acidification, suggesting a therapeutic approach to overcome the acidification defect. Taken together, our findings suggest that UBQLN2 mutations drive pathogenesis through a dominant-negative loss-of-function mechanism in autophagy and that UBQLN2 functions as an important regulator of the expression and stability of ATP6v1g1. These findings may have important implications for devising therapies to treat UBQLN2-linked ALS/FTD.
Characterization of four soybean varieties grown on Mexican land: a preliminary analysis for a proteomic study

Soybean is a source of high-quality proteins and fatty acids for animal and human nutrition. To satisfy the national demand of this crop it is necessary to increase the production of soybean by developing or selecting species that are resistant to adverse environmental conditions. Four soybean varieties customarily grown in Mexico were studied in a comparative manner. Each variety was characterized on the basis of impurities, grain integrity, water content, total and free fatty acids content, protein content, and germination capability following the methods and regulations indicated in NMX-FF-089-1994-SCFI, ISTA and AOAC. None of the soybean varieties presented impurities; Huasteca-100 soybean had a lower percentage of immature grains while the UFV-1 variety had the lowest number of grains damaged by microorganisms. Humidity contents were similar in all four soybean varieties (around 7%). The Huasteca-100 variety had some lower protein content while the UFV-1 variety had the maximum (39%). On the contrary, the lipid content was higher in Huasteca-100 and lower in the UFV-1 variety. Based on these results and on the fact that Huasteca 100 was a strong prospect for massive cultivation in Mexico, this variety was considered an adequate substrate to further study the effect of diverse stressing conditions.
Association between anxiety and clinical outcomes in Chinese patients with myocardial infarction in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease

Myocardial infarction in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease (MINOCA) accounts for approximately 5% ‐ 6% of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. Anxiety symptoms are common in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), and are associated with a poor prognosis. However, the association between anxiety and MINOCA outcomes is less clear.
Guidelines for Physical Activity—A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess Their Application in the General Population. Have We Achieved Our Goal?

National and international healthcare organizations propose guidelines for physical activity worldwide, defining its characteristics. These guidelines’ practical applications are difficult to estimate, since they are not fully followed. The aim of the present cross-sectional observational study was to assess awareness about guidelines for physical activity and to evaluate their practical applications in a sample of the Italian population. In total, 310 participants completed an online survey (mean age 29.10 ± 4.44), assessing the habits, beliefs and health effects of physical activity. In total, 39.35% of respondents were inactive. In total, 6.91% of active respondents did not perform a warm-up phase at the beginning of each training session and 77.14% did not check their own heart rate during the training session. Approximately half of respondents reported erroneous beliefs about the type, frequency and volume of physical activity, compared to data proposed by the guidelines. The preventive effect of physical activity was clearly perceived for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and depression. Several subjects misinterpreted the preventive role of physical activity in colon and breast cancers, and in femur and vertebral fractures. Habits and beliefs about physical activity in the general population are far from the guidelines and recommendations. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the conscious practice of physical activity further.
Intra-Individual Variability in Sleep Schedule: Effects of an Internet-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Program and its Relation with Symptom Remission.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Sleep schedule consistency is fundamental to cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), although there is limited evidence suggesting whether it predicts treatment response. This analysis tested whether: (1) an Internet-based CBT-I program affects intra-individual variability (IIV) in sleep schedule, and (2) sleep schedule IIV predicts insomnia symptom remission. METHODS This secondary analysis compares participants (N=303) randomized to an Internet-based CBT-I program (SHUTi - Sleep Healthy Using the Internet) or Internet-based patient education (PE). Participants reported daily bedtimes and rising times on ten online sleep diaries collected over two weeks at baseline and nine-week post-intervention assessment. Participants completed the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) at post-assessment and six-month follow-up; symptom remission was defined by ISI<8. Mixed effects location scale modeling was used to examine the effect of SHUTi on bedtime and rising time IIV; a novel two-staged analysis examined the effect of bedtime and rising time IIV on insomnia symptom remission. RESULTS At post-assessment, SHUTi participants reported about 30% less bedtime and 32% less rising time variability compared to PE (ps<.03). Bedtime and rising time IIV was not independently associated with likelihood of insomnia symptom remission at the subsequent time point (ps>.18), nor did sleep schedule IIV moderate treatment response (ps>.12). CONCLUSIONS Findings demonstrate that an Internet-delivered CBT-I program can effectively increase users' sleep schedule consistency relative to an educational control. This consistency, however, was not related to treatment outcome when defined by insomnia symptom remission, suggesting that enforcing rigid sleep schedules for patients may not be necessary for treatment success.
A Co-Delivery System of Curcumin and p53 for Enhancing the Sensitivity of Drug-Resistant Ovarian Cancer Cells to Cisplatin

In order to enhance the sensitivity of drug-resistant ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin (DDP), a co-delivery system was designed for simultaneous delivery of curcumin (CUR) and p53 DNA. Firstly, the bifunctional peptide K14 composed of tumor targeting peptide (tLyP-1) and nuclear localization signal (NLS) was synthesized. A nonviral carrier (PEI-K14) was synthesized by cross-linking low molecular weight polyethyleneimine (PEI) with K14. Then, CUR was coupled to PEI-K14 by matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9)-cleavable peptide to prepare CUR-PEI-K14. A co-delivery system, named CUR-PEI-K14/p53, was obtained by CUR-PEI-K14 and p53 self-assembly. Furthermore, the physicochemical properties and gene transfection efficiency were evaluated. Finally, ovarian cancer cisplatin-resistant (SKOV3-DDP) cells were selected to evaluate the effect of CUR-PEI-K14/p53 on enhancing the sensitivity of drug-resistant cells to DDP. The CUR-PEI-K14/DNA complexes appeared uniformly dispersed and spherical. The particle size was around 20–150 nm and the zeta potential was around 18–37 mV. It had good stability, high transfection efficiency, and low cytotoxicity. CUR-PEI-K14/p53 could significantly increase the sensitivity of SKOV3-DDP cells to DDP, and this effect was better as combined with DDP. The sensitizing effect might be related to the upregulation of p53 messenger RNA (mRNA), the downregulation of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) mRNA, and the upregulation of BCL2-Associated X (bax) mRNA. CUR-PEI-K14/p53 can be used as an effective strategy to enhance the sensitivity of drug-resistant ovarian cancer cells to DDP.
Death Self-efficacy, Attitudes Toward Death and Burnout Among Oncology Nurses

Background To effectively care for dying patients, nurses need to possess death self-efficacy—the state of having both a range of skills and capabilities to provide care to dying patients and confidence in one’s ability to do so. A paucity of death self-efficacy may lead to burnout. Objectives The aims of this study are to clarify oncology nurses’ death self-efficacy and to explore its relationships with attitudes toward death and burnout. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in 7 cancer hospitals across mainland China between June and July 2019. Oncology nurses completed an online survey consisting of the Death Self-efficacy Scale, Death Attitude Profile–Revised Scale, and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results The 755 oncology nurses completing the survey reported low death self-efficacy and high levels of burnout. Those who had more years of clinical experience, had the highest professional rank, talked death quite often, and have received palliative care trainings, doing no shift work, scored higher on death self-efficacy. Death self-efficacy was positively correlated with positive attitudes toward death and negatively correlated with levels of burnout. The multiple regression analysis showed that death self-efficacy and attitudes toward death were independent, significant predictors of oncology nurses’ burnout. Conclusions Chinese oncology nurses are not well prepared to care for dying cancer patients and cope with death-related issues. Implications for Practice Improvement in death self-efficacy among oncology nurses is necessary, especially for those who are young, are unmarried, are doing shift work, and never received palliative care training. Enhanced death self-efficacy may be realized through self-reflective practice and palliative care education.
Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Food and Personal Care Products—What Do We Know about Their Safety?

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a material of diverse applications commonly used as a food additive or cosmetic ingredient. Its prevalence in products of everyday use, especially in nanosize, raises concerns about safety. Current findings on the safety of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) used as a food additive or a sunscreen compound are reviewed and systematized in this publication. Although some studies state that TiO2 NPs are not harmful to humans through ingestion or via dermal exposure, there is a considerable number of data that demonstrated their toxic effects in animal models. The final agreement on the safety of this nanomaterial has not yet been reached among researchers. There is also a lack of official, standardized guidelines for thorough characterization of TiO2 NPs in food and cosmetic products, provided by international authorities. Recent advances in the application of ‘green-synthesized’ TiO2 NPs, as well as comparative studies of the properties of ‘biogenic’ and ‘traditional’ nanoparticles, are presented. To conclude, perspectives and directions for further studies on the toxicity of TiO2 NPs are proposed.
Arthropod Invasions Versus Soybean Production in Brazil: A Review

Abstract Soybean production in Brazil has been markedly affected by invasions of non-native arthropod species that feed on the crop, severely impacting biodiversity, food security, health, and economic development. Data on soybean production losses and increase in insecticide usage over the last two decades have not been explored in association with past invasion events, and the dynamics underlying the recent blitz of invasive species into Brazil remain largely unclear. We provide a review of arthropod invasions in the Brazilian soybean agroecosystem since 1990, indicating that the introductions of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) MEAM1 (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae),Tetranychus urticae (Koch) (Acari:Tetranychidae), and Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) are likely correlated with periods of increase in insecticide usage for soybean production. Using these three cases as examples, we review factors that could lead to increased likelihood of future invasions by particular pests, outlining four possible criteria to evaluate potential invasiveness of non-native arthropods: likelihood of entry, likelihood of establishment, biological features of the species, and availability of control measures. Spodoptera litura (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Aphis glycines (Matsumura) (Hemiptera: Sternorrhynca) are examples of highly damaging soybean pests, related to one or more of these factors, that could be introduced into Brazil over the next years and which could lead to problematic scenarios. Melanagromyza sojae (Zehnter) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) also meets these criteria and has successfully invaded and colonized Brazilian soybean fields in recent years. Our review identifies current issues within soybean pest management in Brazil and highlights the need to adopt management measures to offset future costs and minimize lost revenue.