Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of anti-inflammatory regimen on early postoperative inflammation after cataract surgery.

PURPOSE To investigate if a combination of topical nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and steroids were superior in controlling early postoperative inflammation after cataract surgery compared with topical NSAIDs alone and with dropless surgery where a subtenon depot of steroid was placed during surgery. SETTING Department of Ophthalmology, Rigshospitalet-Glostrup, Denmark. DESIGN Prospective randomized controlled trial with masked statistical analyses. METHODS Patients undergoing phacoemulsification for age-related cataract were randomized to 1 of 5 regimens: ketorolac and prednisolone eyedrops combined (groups Pred+NSAID-Pre [control group] and Pred+NSAID-Post) vs ketorolac monotherapy (groups NSAID-Pre and NSAID-Post) vs subtenon depot of dexamethasone (Dropless group). Drops were used until 3 weeks postoperatively, starting 3 days before surgery in the "Pre" groups and on the day of surgery in the "Post" groups. Aqueous flare was measured at baseline and 3 days postoperatively. RESULTS 456 participants, mean age 72.1 (SD 7.0) years, 283 (62%) females, were included. Flare increased significantly more in the Dropless group compared with control (Pred+NSAID-Pre), but none of the other groups differed significantly from the control. Intraocular pressure decreased in all groups but significantly less in groups receiving prednisolone eyedrops (Pred+NSAID-Pre and Pred+NSAID-Post) compared with NSAID monotherapy and Drop-less. No differences in postoperative visual acuity were found compared with control. CONCLUSIONS No differences were found between groups randomized to NSAID monotherapy or combination of NSAID and steroid in controlling early inflammation after cataract surgery but subtenon depot of dexamethasone was less efficient. Initiating prophylactic eyedrops prior to surgery did not influence early postoperative anterior chamber inflammation.
Unravelling the Antifungal Effect of Red Thyme Oil (Thymus vulgaris L.) Compounds in Vapor Phase

The aim of this work was to evaluate the antifungal activity in vapor phase of thymol, p-cymene, and γ-terpinene, the red thyme essential oil compounds (RTOCs). The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of RTOCs was determined against postharvest spoilage fungi of the genera Botrytis, Penicillium, Alternaria, and Monilinia, by measuring the reduction of the fungal biomass after exposure for 72 h at 25 °C. Thymol showed the lowest MIC (7.0 µg/L), followed by γ-terpinene (28.4 µg/L) and p-cymene (40.0 µg/L). In the case of P. digitatum ITEM 9569, resistant to commercial RTO, a better evaluation of interactions among RTOCs was performed using the checkerboard assay and the calculation of the Fractional Inhibitory Concentration Index (FICI). During incubation, changes in the RTOCs concentration were measured by GC-MS analysis. A synergistic effect between thymol (0.013 ± 0.003 L/L) and γ-terpinene (0.990 ± 0.030 L/L) (FICI = 0.50) in binary combinations, and between p-cymene (0.700 ± 0.010 L/L) and γ-terpinene (0.290 ± 0.010 L/L) in presence of thymol (0.008 ± 0.001 L/L) (FICI = 0.19), in ternary combinations was found. The synergistic effect against the strain P. digitatum ITEM 9569 suggests that different combinations among RTOCs could be defined to control fungal strains causing different food spoilage phenomena.
Capturing life and its fluctuations: Experience sampling and daily diary studies in studying within-person variability

In 1942, Gordon Allport pointed out that “Psychology needs to concern itself with life as it is lived” (as cited in Bolger, Davis, & Rafaeli, 2003). Following this recommendation requires studying people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in situ: when and where they actually take place. Is this even possible? Around 30 years after Allport’s call, Csikszentmihalyi, Larson, and Prescott (1977) conducted a study regarded to be the first to use this approach (Iida, Shrout, Laurenceau, & Bolger, 2012). In the course of one week, researchers assessed daily activities of twenty-five adolescents put forward in response to 753 random beeps produced by their pagers. The authors called this novel methodology the experiential sampling method. Since then, ecological validity and reduced recall bias have been listed among the main strengths of intensive longitudinal designs, where data are collected from one to several times a day for at least a few days. Moreover, recent technological advances, such as smartphones or fitness trackers, have provided new possibilities for studying experiential, physiological, and behavioral processes in Editorial
The Protective Effects of Pre- and Post-Administration of Micronized Palmitoylethanolamide Formulation on Postoperative Pain in Rats

Background: Postoperative pain (PO) is a common form of acute pain. Inadequate PO treatment is an important health problem, as it leads to worse outcomes, such as chronic post-surgical pain. Therefore, it is necessary to acquire new knowledge on PO mechanisms to develop therapeutic options with greater efficacy than those available today and to lower the risk of adverse effects. For this reason, we evaluated the ability of micronized palmitoylethanolamide (PEA-m) to resolve the pain and inflammatory processes activated after incision of the hind paw in an animal model of PO. Methods: The animals were subjected to surgical paw incision and randomized into different groups. PEA-m was administered orally at 10 mg/kg at different time points before or after incision. Results: Our research demonstrated that the pre- and post-treatment with PEA-m reduced the activation of mast cells at the incision site and the expression of its algogenic mediator nerve growth factor (NGF) in the lumbar spinal cord. Furthermore, again at the spinal level, it was able to decrease the activation of phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinases (p-ERK), ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). PEA-m also reduced the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) spinal pathway, showing a protective effect in a rat model of PO. Conclusion: The results obtained reinforce the idea that PEA-m may be a potential treatment for the control of pain and inflammatory processes associated with PO. In addition, pre- and post-treatment with PEA-m is more effective than treatment alone after the surgery and this limits the time of taking the compound and the abuse of analgesics.
Journal of Appled Horticulture, Volume 9, No 2 July-December

Muskule grape variety which has table and late maturing attributes, was used for this study. Storage of table grapes requires stringent control of gray mold, which is caused by Botrytis cinerea Pers. In spite of the fact that the use of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in controlling gray mould is common practice, it has some advantages and disadvantages. Thus, physical, natural organic elicitors and biological methods have been used for delaying decays. In this study, UV-C (0.25kJ m-2), salicylic acid (1, 2, 3mM) and Na2S2O5 (0.4g powdered sodium metabisulfate pads) treatments were used to reduce quality losses during the cold storage of Muskule grape. Treated clusters were placed into polyethylene container and packaged with polyethylene bags having 10.5 μ thicknesses and stored at 0±1 oC and 90±5% relative humidity throughout 100 day. At the end of 100 day, weight loss (%), soluble solids content (%), titratable acidity (g 100 mL-1), pH of fruit juice, sensory evaluation, view of cluster skeleton and decay rate (%) were determined at 20 days interval. SA (3mM) + UV-C combined treatment and SA (3mM) treatment were found to be effective depending on examined criterion.
A new Bunodophoron species (Sphaerophoraceae, Lecanorales) from the Neotropics

Abstract This is the first part of an ongoing taxonomic treatment of Bunodophoron (Sphaerophoraceae, Lecanorales) in the Neotropics, based on the molecular phylogenetic analysis of three markers together with studies of morphology and chemistry, and using the general mixed Yule coalescence (GMYC) method to delimit species boundaries. In the Neotropics, species in this genus grow on the ground or on shrubs in the páramos, and as epiphytes in the montane rainforests. We describe here a new species from the páramos of Colombia, Bunodophoron crespoae Soto, M. Prieto & Wedin sp. nov., and discuss its distinction from another large and common páramo species Bunodophoron flabellatum (Hue) Soto, M. Prieto & Wedin comb. nov. Both species are primarily terrestrial in the páramos, although B. flabellatum may occasionally also grow as an epiphyte. Bunodophoron crespoae is characterized by the white, c. 10–13 cm long, subterete to narrowly flattened, main branches. It differs from the otherwise similar B. flabellatum by being distinctly subterete, more abundantly branched, and by having smaller ascospores. Both are distinguished from the primarily epiphytic B. melanocarpum by the considerably larger thallus size, with the main branches of B. melanocarpum rarely exceeding 3·5 cm in length and 2 mm in width.
Cryptic or Silent? The Known Unknowns, Unknown Knowns, and Unknown Unknowns of Secondary Metabolism

Microbial natural products, particularly those produced by filamentous Actinobacteria, underpin the majority of clinically used antibiotics. Unfortunately, only a few new antibiotic classes have been discovered since the 1970s, which has exacerbated fears of a postapocalyptic world in which antibiotics have lost their utility. Excitingly, the genome sequencing revolution painted an entirely new picture, one in which an average strain of filamentous Actinobacteria harbors 20 to 50 natural product biosynthetic pathways but expresses very few of these under laboratory conditions. ABSTRACT Microbial natural products, particularly those produced by filamentous Actinobacteria, underpin the majority of clinically used antibiotics. Unfortunately, only a few new antibiotic classes have been discovered since the 1970s, which has exacerbated fears of a postapocalyptic world in which antibiotics have lost their utility. Excitingly, the genome sequencing revolution painted an entirely new picture, one in which an average strain of filamentous Actinobacteria harbors 20 to 50 natural product biosynthetic pathways but expresses very few of these under laboratory conditions. Development of methodology to access this “hidden” biochemical diversity has the potential to usher in a second Golden Era of antibiotic discovery. The proliferation of genomic data has led to inconsistent use of “cryptic” and “silent” when referring to biosynthetic gene clusters identified by bioinformatic analysis. In this Perspective, we discuss this issue and propose to formalize the use of this terminology.
Safety Evaluation of α-Lipoic Acid Supplementation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Studies

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a natural short-chain fatty acid that has attracted great attention in recent years as an antioxidant molecule. However, some concerns have been recently raised regarding its safety profile. To address the issue, we aimed to assess ALA safety profile through a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis of the available randomized placebo-controlled clinical studies. The literature search included EMBASE, PubMed Medline, SCOPUS, Google Scholar, and ISI Web of Science by Clarivate databases up to 15th August 2020. Data were pooled from 71 clinical studies, comprising 155 treatment arms, which included 4749 subjects with 2558 subjects treated with ALA and 2294 assigned to placebo. A meta-analysis of extracted data suggested that supplementation with ALA was not associated with an increased risk of any treatment-emergent adverse event (all p > 0.05). ALA supplementation was safe, even in subsets of studies categorized according to smoking habit, cardiovascular disease, presence of diabetes, pregnancy status, neurological disorders, rheumatic affections, severe renal impairment, and status of children/adolescents at baseline.
Antifolate Resistance Mutation and Proguanil Susceptibility among Plasmodium Falciparum Isolates in Thai-Cambodia Border

Malaria is still one of the major public health problems in Thailand. Malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum , has been found to resist to most available antimalarial drugs. Although the ACTs base combination is still effective against falciparum infection, few resistant cases were reported. Malarone, a combination of atovaquone and proguanil, had been introduced for prophylaxis and treatment in Trat and Chanthaburi Provinces, 2009 – 2011, to prolong the life span of the ACTs base combination therapy. The purpose of this study is to assess the point mutation of in vitro susceptibility and dhfr gene against proguanil before and after the administration of Malarone. A total of 37 blood samples collected from patients attending malaria clinic at Trat and Chanthaburi Province during 1993 to 2011 were analysed. The results revealed four mutations at 51 N/I , 59 C/R , 108 S/NT and 164 I/L residues in the dhfr gene. All samples had at least three point mutations and moderately resistant against proguanil with MIC ranging from 10 -5 - 5x10 -5 M. These mutations were also maintained in falciparum samples collected from the same areas prior to and during Malarone usage. The number and position of point mutations were correlated with proguanil susceptibility. Although the proguanil alone should not be recommended for falciparum malaria prophylaxis and treatment in this region, proguanil and atovaquone combination, with their synergistic effects, may effective against falciparum treatment.
Diagnostic value of the combined use of SATB2 and CDX2 in mucinous carcinoma of colorectal origin

Background Metastatic mucinous adenocarcinoma from an unknown primary site is a frequent clinical dilemma. The ability to confirm or exclude a diagnosis of carcinoma of colorectal origin by immunohistochemistry has been limited by the lack of a reliable positive marker for colorectal differentiation. Caudal type homeobox 2 (CDX2) has been reported to be expressed in intestinal adenocarcinomas; yet, it is also expressed in other tumors such as those of the pancreas, bile ducts, bladder, endometrium, and ovary. Special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 (SATB2) has been recently linked to colorectal cancer. The diagnostic role of SATB2 in mucinous carcinoma of colorectal origin has not been previously elaborated. Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of SATB2 in differentiating mucinous carcinomas of colorectal origin from mucinous carcinomas of other origins as compared with that of CDX2. Materials and methods A comparative immunohistochemical study of SATB2 and CDX2 expression was performed in 42 cases of primary mucinous carcinomas (colorectal=10, breast=14, cervix=10, stomach=8) and 22 cases of metastatic mucinous colorectal carcinoma. The predictive capacity of SATB2 and CDX2 expression for diagnosing the mucinous carcinoma of colorectal origin was determined individually and in combination using sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value calculations. Results SATB2 demonstrated positive immunoreactivity in all cases of primary colorectal carcinoma and 81.8% of metastatic colorectal carcinomas in addition to 57.1% of breast, 40% of cervical, and 25% of gastric tumors. CDX2 was positively expressed in 60% of primary colorectal carcinomas and 72.7% of metasty tatic colorectal carcinomas, but it was negative in all noncolonic primary mucinous carcinomas. The SATB2 expression showed a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 56.2% in identifying colorectal origin of mucinous carcinomas, compared with 60 and 100% for CDX2 expression, respectively. The combined use of both SATB2 and CDX2 raised both the sensitivity and the negative predictive values to 100% if any of the two markers showed positivity as compared with the isolated use of CDX2. Conclusion SATB2 is a more sensitive yet less specific marker for diagnosis of mucinous carcinoma of colorectal origin as compared with CDX2. SATB2 in combination with CDX2 increases the accuracy of distinguishing mucinous carcinomas of colorectal origin from mucinous carcinomas of other origins; therefore, SATB2 is considered a useful marker in this respect.
Engineering and Preclinical Evaluation of Western Reserve Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus Expressing A167Y Mutant Herpes Simplex Virus Thymidine Kinase

Viral replication of thymidine kinase deleted (tk−) vaccinia virus (VV) is attenuated in resting normal cells, enabling cancer selectivity, however, replication potency of VV-tk− appears to be diminished in cancer cells. Previously, we found that wild-type herpes simplex virus (HSV)-tk (HSV-tk) disappeared in most of the recombinant VV after multiple screenings, and only a few recombinant VV containing naturally mutated HSV-tk remained stable. In this study, VV-tk of western reserve (WR) VV was replaced by A167Y mutated HSV-tk (HSV-tk418m), to alter nucleoside selectivity from broad spectrum to purine exclusive selectivity. WOTS-418 remained stable after numerous passages. WOTS-418 replication was significantly attenuated in normal cells, but cytotoxicity was almost similar to that of wild type WR VV in cancer cells. WOTS-418 showed no lethality following a 5 × 108 PFU intranasal injection, contrasting WR VV, which showed 100% lethality at 1 × 105 PFU. Additionally, ganciclovir (GCV) but not BvdU inhibited WOTS-418 replication, confirming specificity to purine nucleoside analogs. The potency of WOTS-418 replication inhibition by GCV was > 10-fold higher than that of our previous truncated HSV-tk recombinant OTS-412. Overall, WOTS-418 demonstrated robust oncolytic efficacy and pharmacological safety which may delegate it as a candidate for future clinical use in OV therapy.
Research article Density gradient capacitation is the most suitable method to improve fertilization and to reduce DNA fragmentation positive spermatozoa of infertile men

Objective: To investigate the relationship between DNA fragmentation by TUNEL method and seminogram parameters from fresh and capacitated samples for swim-up and gradient methods, to verify the best method for improving the outcome of in vitro fertilization. Materials and methods: Samples were obtained from 100 volunteers after 4-5 days of sexual abstinence. Classical semen parameters were analyzed by computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA) according to WHO classification criteria. Semen was washed twice in RPMI medium and every sample was divided into 3 parts. Two parts were used to capacitate the semen by swim-up and gradient methods, and the other was taken as fresh sample. Analysis of apoptosis and vitality were carried out by TUNEL, and by acridine orange and ethidium bromide methods, respectively on both fresh and capacitated samples. Results: Our findings show a negative correlation between TUNEL-positive spermatozoa and the efficiency of pregnancy as well as concentration and mobility. To recover mobile cells by capacitation methods, gradient was more efficient than swim-up as well as removing apoptotic and necrotic cells, hence, enriching the quality of semen samples.
Rapid Expansion of Virus-Specific CD4+ T Cell Types in the CNS of Susceptible Mice Infected with Theiler’s Virus

The infection of susceptible mice with Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) induces a T cell-mediated demyelinating disease. This system has been studied as a relevant infection model for multiple sclerosis (MS). Therefore, defining the type of T cell responses and their functions is critically important for understanding the relevant pathogenic mechanisms. In this study, we adoptively transferred naive VP2-specific TCR-Tg CD4+ T cells into syngeneic susceptible SJL mice and monitored the development of the disease and the activation and proliferation of CD4+ T cells during the early stages of viral infection. The preexisting VP2-specific naive CD4+ T cells promoted the pathogenesis of the disease in a dose-dependent manner. The transferred VP2-specific CD4+ T cells proliferated rapidly in the CNS starting at 2–3 dpi. High levels of FoxP3+CD4+ T cells were found in the CNS early in viral infection (3 dpi) and persisted throughout the infection. Activated VP2-specific FoxP3+CD4+ T cells inhibited the production of IFN-γ, but not IL-17, via the same VP2-specific CD4+ T cells without interfering in proliferation. Thus, the early presence of regulatory T cells in the CNS with viral infection may favor the induction of pathogenic Th17 cells over protective Th1 cells in susceptible mice, thereby establishing the pathogenesis of virus-induced demyelinating disease.
Validity of the use of porcine bone in forensic cut mark studies

Porcine bone is often used as a substitute for human bone in forensic trauma studies, but little has been published on its comparative mechanical behavior. The factors affecting mechanical properties and therefore selection of bone models are complex and include the age of the animal at death, and physiological loading conditions, the latter being of particular relevance when using a quadrupedal animal as a human substitute. The regional variation in hardness of adult and infant porcine bones was investigated using Vickers’ indentation tests and compared to published data for human limb bones to relate differences to inherent genetic effects and loading influences, and to examine the validity of the porcine‐human model. Significant differences in hardness were observed both along and around the adult porcine humerus and femur, but no significant differences were found along the length of the infant bones. Significant differences were found between the forelimb and hindlimb, but only in the infant specimens. The hardness values for porcine adult cortical bone from the femur (52.23 ± 1.00 kg mm−2) were comparable to those reported in the literature for adult human cortical bone from the fibula, ilium, and calcaneus. These data will help inform subject selection in terms of both species and bone type for use in future trauma studies.
Phytochemical Evaluation of Tinctures and Essential Oil Obtained from Satureja montana Herb

Winter Savory (Satureja montana L.) has been used in traditional medicine and as a spice or natural food preservative in the Mediterranean region for centuries. In this paper, some technological and analytical aspects of the S. montana tinctures development and an evaluation of the essential oil composition are provided. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents and phenolic compounds profile analyzed spectrophotometrically and by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), respectively, were evaluated in the developed tinctures. The results showed that the tinctures prepared from the S. montana herb by maceration or remaceration are rich in polyphenols, and there is an influence of the technological factors (particle size and extraction mode) on the total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Caffeic, rosmarinic, and chlorogenic acids, (–)-catechin and rutin were identified in the tinctures using the HPTLC method. p-Thymol (81.79%) revealed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was the predominant compound of the essential oil of this plant. Thus, the high contents of polyphenols and flavonoids in the developed tinctures and p-thymol among the volatile components of the S. montana essential oil could indicate the promising antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of these herbal preparations. The obtained results are a ground for the organization of the manufacture of the S. montana tincture and essential oil with the purpose of performing preclinical studies.