Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Frailty and Changes in Cognitive Function after Kidney Transplantation.

BACKGROUND Restoration of kidney function after kidney transplant generally improves cognitive function. It is unclear whether frail recipients, with higher susceptibility to surgical stressors, achieve such post-transplant cognitive improvements or whether they experience subsequent cognitive decline as they age with a functioning graft. METHODS In this two-center cohort study, we assessed pretransplant frailty (Fried physical frailty phenotype) and cognitive function (Modified Mini-Mental State Examination) in adult kidney transplant recipients. To investigate potential short- and medium-term effects of frailty on post-transplant cognitive trajectories, we measured cognitive function up to 4 years post-transplant. Using an adjusted mixed effects model with a random slope (time) and intercept (person), we characterized post-transplant cognitive trajectories by pretransplant frailty, accounting for nonlinear trajectories. RESULTS Of 665 recipients (mean age 52.0 years) followed for a median of 1.5 years, 15.0% were frail. After adjustment, pretransplant cognitive scores were significantly lower among frail patients compared with nonfrail patients (89.0 versus 90.8 points). By 3 months post-transplant, cognitive performance improved for both frail (slope =0.22 points per week) and nonfrail (slope =0.14 points per week) recipients. Between 1 and 4 years post-transplant, improvements plateaued among nonfrail recipients (slope =0.005 points per week), whereas cognitive function declined among frail recipients (slope =-0.04 points per week). At 4 years post-transplant, cognitive scores were 5.8 points lower for frail recipients compared with nonfrail recipients. CONCLUSIONS On average, both frail and nonfrail recipients experience short-term cognitive improvement post-transplant. However, frailty is associated with medium-term cognitive decline post-transplant. Interventions to prevent cognitive decline among frail recipients should be identified.
Discovery of Food-Derived Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV Inhibitory Peptides: A Review

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder which leads to high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most common form of diabetes and results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin. Over ten dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory drugs have been developed and marketed around the world in the past decade. However, owing to the reported adverse effects of the synthetic DPP-IV inhibitors, attempts have been made to find DPP-IV inhibitors from natural sources. Food-derived components, such as protein hydrolysates (peptides), have been suggested as potential DPP-IV inhibitors which can help manage blood glucose levels. This review focuses on the methods of discovery of food-derived DPP-IV inhibitory peptides, including fractionation and purification approaches, in silico analysis methods, in vivo studies, and the bioavailability of these food-derived peptides. Moreover, food-derived DPP-IV inhibitory peptides discovered during this decade are listed and distributed in a 3D scatter plot graph based on their IC50, molecular weight, and grand average of hydropathicity values, which can help us to understand the relationship between the features of the peptides and their activities.
Stigmatization experiences of Turkish parents of patients hospitalized in child and adolescent psychiatric clinics

PURPOSE This study determined the stigmatization experiences of parents with a child who received inpatient treatment at the psychiatry clinic in Turkey. METHOD A qualitative descriptive approach was used. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted. The study sample consisted of 15 parents. The data were evaluated using the thematic analysis method. FINDINGS According to the data analysis, six themes and eight subthemes were created. These themes were exclusion, labeled, hiding the child's disorder, positive discrimination, coping strategies, and despair. CONCLUSION This study determined that all participant parents were exposed to stigmatization in many areas and tried to hide their child's diagnosis. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS Mental health and psychiatric nurses should support the patient's parents to share and express both theirs and their child's stigmatization experiences.
Intermediate progenitors and Tbr2 in cortical development

In developing cerebral cortex, intermediate progenitors (IPs) are transit amplifying cells that specifically express Tbr2 (gene: Eomes), a T‐box transcription factor. IPs are derived from radial glia (RG) progenitors, the neural stem cells of developing cortex. In turn, IPs generate glutamatergic projection neurons (PNs) exclusively. IPs are found in ventricular and subventricular zones, where they differentiate as distinct ventricular IP (vIP) and outer IP (oIP) subtypes. Morphologically, IPs have short processes, resembling filopodia or neurites, that transiently contact other cells, most importantly dividing RG cells to mediate Delta‐Notch signaling. Also, IPs secrete a chemokine, Cxcl12, which guides interneuron and microglia migrations and promotes thalamocortical axon growth. In mice, IPs produce clones of 1–12 PNs, sometimes spanning multiple layers. After mitosis, IP daughter cells undergo asymmetric cell death in the majority of instances. In mice, Tbr2 is necessary for PN differentiation and subtype specification, and to repress IP‐genic transcription factors. Tbr2 directly represses Insm1, an IP‐genic transcription factor gene, as well as Pax6, a key activator of Tbr2 transcription. Without Tbr2, abnormal IPs transiently accumulate in elevated numbers. More broadly, Tbr2 regulates the transcriptome by activating or repressing hundreds of direct target genes. Notably, Tbr2 ‘unlocks’ and activates PN‐specific genes, such as Tbr1, by recruiting Jmjd3, a histone H3K27me3 demethylase that removes repressive epigenetic marks placed by polycomb repressive complex 2. IPs have played an important role in the evolution and gyrification of mammalian cerebral cortex, and TBR2 is essential for human brain development.
T-type Calcium Channels in Cancer

Although voltage-activated Ca2+ channels are a common feature in excitable cells, their expression in cancer tissue is less understood. T-type Ca2+ channels are particularly overexpressed in various cancers. Because of their activation profile at membrane potentials close to rest and the generation of a window current, T-type Ca2+ channels may regulate a variety of Ca2+-dependent cellular processes, including cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation. The expression of T-type Ca2+ channels is of special interest as a target for therapeutic interventions.
Financial Crisis in Portugal: Effects in the Health Care Sector

Portugal has faced an economic and financial crisis that began circa FY2009 and whose effects are still ongoing. In FY2011, the Portuguese state and the European triumvirate – composed of the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Central Bank – signed the Memoranda of Understanding. This troika agreement aimed to improve the operational efficiency of public services. This crisis had a considerable impact on the Portuguese citizens’ life and productivity, as well as on the public health care system. Cuts over public expenditures have been made to reduce the risk of noncompliance with budgetary targets, despite their potential impact on quality and access to health care services. We analyzed the main policies and measures undertaken by the Portuguese Ministry of Health with respect to the bailout program associated with the troika agreement. Then, we focused on the budgetary cuts–related risks over the social performance of the care system. Evidence suggests that structural reforms in the health care sector in the troika period had positive effects in terms of drugs administration and consumption, on the one hand, and secondary care expenditures reduction, on the other hand. Nonetheless, we observed some divestitures on infrastructures and the worsening of access to health care services.
Prevalence of Hypertension in Vietnam: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Studies on the prevalence of hypertension in Vietnam have reported various estimates. There is no up-to-date assessment of the evidence on the magnitude of hypertension in Vietnam. Search engines for scientific and gray literature were used to identify relevant records for eligibility screening and quality assessment. Data from selected articles were extracted using standardized spreadsheets. Statistical analysis included estimating pooled prevalence and odds ratio, heterogeneity evaluation, meta-regression, and subgroup analysis, in addition to sensitivity analysis and publication bias evaluation. The pooled prevalence of measured hypertension in Vietnam was 21.1% (95% confidence interval = 18.5-23.7) based on 10 studies, and 18.4% (95% confidence interval = 15.2-21.8) based on 3 national surveys. Lower pooled prevalence was estimated for hypertension awareness (9.3%) and hypertension treatment (4.7%). The pooled prevalence of measured hypertension is significantly higher among men. The pooled prevalence of measured hypertension and hypertension awareness and treatment were significantly lower in rural settings. There is a need to strengthen efforts for primary and secondary prevention and disease management to reduce morbidity and mortality, especially in rural residence settings.
Fermented Portulaca oleracea L. Juice: A Novel Functional Beverage with Potential Ameliorating Effects on the Intestinal Inflammation and Epithelial Injury

P. oleracea L. contains high level of nutrients and biologically active compounds. Recently, lactic fermentation has been proposed as a biotechnological option to enrich the profile of biogenic compounds of Portulaca oleracea L. puree. This study investigated the capability of fermentation by selected lactic acid bacteria to enhance the restoring features of Portulaca oleracea juice towards intestinal inflammation and epithelial injury. Lactic acid fermentation markedly increased the total antioxidant capacity of P. oleracea juice, preserved the inherent levels of vitamins C, A, and E, and increased the bioavailability of the level of vitamin B2 and that of phenolics. The effects of fermented P. oleracea juice on a Caco-2 cell line were investigated using an in vitro model closest to the in vivo conditions. Fermented P. oleracea juice strongly decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators and reactive oxygen species. It also counteracted the disruption of the Caco-2 cell monolayers treated with the inflammatory stimulus. We used a diversified spectrum of lactic acid bacteria species, and some effects appeared to be strains- or species-specific. Fermentation with Lactobacillus kunkeei B7 ensured the best combination for the content of bioactive compounds and the ability to counteract the intestinal inflammation and epithelial injury.
ZEB2 and LMO2 drive immature T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia via distinct oncogenic mechanisms

ZEB1 and ZEB2 are structurally related E-box binding homeobox transcription factors that induce epithelial to mesenchymal transitions during development and disease. As such, they regulate cancer cell invasion, dissemination and metastasis of solid tumors. In addition, their expression is associated with the gain of cancer stem cell properties and resistance to therapy. Using conditional loss-of-function mice, we previously demonstrated that Zeb2 also plays pivotal roles in hematopoiesis, controlling important cell fate decisions, lineage commitment and fidelity. In addition, upon Zeb2 overexpression, mice spontaneously develop immature T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia. Here we show that pre-leukemic Zeb2-overexpressing thymocytes are characterized by a differentiation delay at beta-selection due to aberrant activation of the interleukin-7 receptor signaling pathway. Notably, and in contrast to Lmo2-overexpressing thymocytes, these pre-leukemic Zeb2-overexpressing T-cell progenitors display no acquired self-renewal properties. Finally, Zeb2 activation in more differentiated T-cell precursor cells can also drive malignant T-cell development, suggesting that the early T-cell differentiation delay is not essential for Zeb2-mediated leukemic transformation. Altogether, our data suggest that Zeb2 and Lmo2 drive malignant transformation of immature T-cell progenitors via distinct molecular mechanisms.
Edinburgh Research Explorer Macrophages from Susceptible and Resistant Chicken Lines have Different Transcriptomes following Marek’s Disease Virus Infection

: Despite successful control by vaccination, Marek’s disease (MD) has continued evolving to greater virulence over recent years. To control MD, selection and breeding of MD-resistant chickens might be a suitable option. MHC-congenic inbred chicken lines, 6 1 and 7 2 , are highly resistant and susceptible to MD, respectively, but the cellular and genetic basis for these phenotypes is unknown. Marek’s disease virus (MDV) infects macrophages, B-cells, and activated T-cells in vivo. This study investigates the cellular basis of resistance to MD in vitro with the hypothesis that resistance is determined by cells active during the innate immune response. Chicken bone marrow-derived macrophages from lines 6 1 and 7 2 were infected with MDV in vitro. Flow cytometry showed that a higher percentage of macrophages were infected in line 7 2 than in line 6 1 . A transcriptomic study followed by in silico functional analysis of differentially expressed genes was then carried out between the two lines pre- and post-infection. Analysis supports the hypothesis that macrophages from susceptible and resistant chicken lines display a marked difference in their transcriptome following MDV infection. Resistance to infection, differential activation of biological pathways, and suppression of oncogenic potential are among host defense strategies identified in macrophages from resistant chickens.
Detecting and Evaluating Urban Clusters with Spatiotemporal Big Data

The design of urban clusters has played an important role in urban planning, but realizing the construction of these urban plans is quite a long process. Hence, how the progress is evaluated is significant for urban managers in the process of urban construction. Traditional methods for detecting urban clusters are inaccurate since the raw data is generally collected from small sample questionnaires of resident trips rather than large-scale studies. Spatiotemporal big data provides a new lens for understanding urban clusters in a natural and fine-grained way. In this article, we propose a novel method for Detecting and Evaluating Urban Clusters (DEUC) with taxi trajectories and Sina Weibo check-in data. Firstly, DEUC applies an agglomerative hierarchical clustering method to detect urban clusters based on the similarities in the daily travel space of urban residents. Secondly, DEUC infers resident demands for land-use functions using a naïve Bayes’ theorem, and three indicators are adopted to assess the rationality of land-use functions in the detected clusters—namely, cross-regional travel index, commuting direction index, and fulfilled demand index. Thirdly, DEUC evaluates the progress of urban cluster construction by calculating a proposed conformance indicator. In the case study, we applied our method to detect and analyze urban clusters in Wuhan, China in the years 2009, 2014, and 2015. The results suggest the effectiveness of the proposed method, which can provide a scientific basis for urban construction.
Improving surgical informed consent in obstetric and gynaecologic surgeries in a teaching hospital in Ethiopia: A before and after study

Objectives Even though surgical informed consent (SIC) has marked benefits, in many settings the information is not provided appropriately. In Ethiopia, minimal attention is given to SIC. This study assesses whether an intervention designed to improve SIC in obstetric and gynaecologic surgeries is associated with receipt of SIC components. Design Pre-intervention and post-intervention surveys were conducted at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital among women who underwent obstetric or gynaecologic surgeries. The intervention consisted of a 3-day training on standard counselling for surgical procedures offered to health professionals. A total of 457 women were surveyed (230 pre-intervention, 227 post-intervention). An adjusted Poisson regression analysis was used to identify the association between the intervention and the number of SIC components received. Results The majority of participants were 25–34 years of age in both the pre-intervention and post-intervention groups (p=0.66). 45.7% of the pre-intervention and 51.5% of the post-intervention survey participants underwent elective surgery (p=0.21). Additionally, 70.4% of pre-intervention survey participants received counselling immediately before surgery, compared with 62.4% of post-intervention participants (p<0.001). 5.7% of pre-intervention and 6.6% of post-intervention participants reported the belief that SIC consists entirely of signing on a piece of paper (p=0.66). After controlling for effects of potential confounders, the number of SIC components reported by post-intervention survey participants was 16% higher than what is received by pre-intervention ones (adjusted coefficient=1.16 (1.06–1.28)). Having elective versus emergency surgery was not associated with the number of components received by participants in either group (adjusted coefficient=0.98 (0.88–1.09)). Conclusion Training on the delivery of standard SIC is associated with receipt of a higher number of standard counselling components. However, there is a need to evaluate whether a one-time intervention leads to sustained improvement. A system-wide study of factors that promote SIC is required.
Effects of Caffeine Supplementation on Power Performance in a Flywheel Device: A Randomised, Double-Blind Cross-Over Study

Despite the demonstrated evidence of the importance of eccentric contractions in sports performance, no research has evaluated the ergogenic effects of caffeine on this type of contraction means during flywheel exercises. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to compare the power outcomes, using different inertial loads, between caffeine and placebo conditions. Twenty-four young, healthy, and active men (age: 22.5 ± 4.8 years) took part in the study. A crossed, randomised double-blind design was used to analyse the effects of caffeine on lower limb power outcomes during a flywheel half-squat exercise. Participants completed four sets of eight all-out repetitions with a fixed three-minutes rest interval, and each set was performed using different inertial loads (i.e., 0.025, 0.050, 0.075 and 0.100 kg·m−2). Both the mean power (MP) and peak power (PP) in concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC) movement phases at each inertial load were recorded after participants were administered either a caffeine supplement (6 mg·kg−1) or placebo (sucrose). Participants receiving a caffeine supplementation demonstrated improvements versus the placebo in total MP (MPtotal), as well as MP in CON phase (MPcon) and in ECC phase (MPecc) at each inertial load (22.68 to 26.53%; p < 0.01, effect size (ES) = 0.89–1.40). In addition, greater improvements with caffeine ingestion were obtained with respect to the placebo condition (18.79 to 24.98%; p < 0.01, ES = 1.03–1.40) in total PP (PPtotal), as well as PP in CON phase (PPcon) and in ECC phase (PPecc) at each inertial load. Thus, the supplementation of 6 mg·kg−1 caffeine may be considered to maximise on-field physical performance in those sports characterised by high demands of resistance.
Dual-Targeting Approach Degrades Biofilm Matrix and Enhances Bacterial Killing

Biofilm formation is a key virulence factor responsible for a wide range of infectious diseases, including dental caries. Cariogenic biofilms are structured microbial communities embedded in an extracellular matrix that affords bacterial adhesion-cohesion and drug tolerance, making them difficult to treat using conventional antimicrobial monotherapy. Here, we investigated a multitargeted approach combining exopolysaccharide (EPS) matrix-degrading glucanohydrolases with a clinically used essential oils–based antimicrobial to potentiate antibiofilm efficacy. Our data showed that dextranase and mutanase can synergistically break down the EPS glucan matrix in preformed cariogenic biofilms, markedly enhancing bacterial killing by the antimicrobial agent (3-log increase versus antimicrobial alone). Further analyses revealed that an EPS-degrading/antimicrobial (EDA) approach disassembles the matrix scaffold, exposing the bacterial cells for efficient killing while concurrently causing cellular dispersion and “physical collapse” of the bacterial clusters. Unexpectedly, we found that the EDA approach can also selectively target the EPS-producing cariogenic bacteria Streptococcus mutans with higher killing specificity (versus other species) within mixed biofilms, disrupting their accumulation and promoting dominance of commensal bacteria. Together, these results demonstrate a dual-targeting approach that can enhance antibiofilm efficacy and precision by dismantling the EPS matrix and its protective microenvironment, amplifying the killing of pathogenic bacteria within.
Exosomal Expression of CXCR4 Targets Cardioprotective Vesicles to Myocardial Infarction and Improves Outcome after Systemic Administration

Cell therapy has been evaluated to enhance heart function after injury. Delivered cells mostly act via paracrine mechanisms, including secreted growth factors, cytokines, and vesicles, such as exosomes (Exo). Intramyocardial injection of cardiac-resident progenitor cells (CPC)-derived Exo reduced scarring and improved cardiac function after myocardial infarction in rats. Here, we explore a clinically relevant approach to enhance the homing process to cardiomyocytes (CM), which is crucial for therapeutic efficacy upon systemic delivery of Exo. By overexpressing exosomal CXCR4, we increased the efficacy of plasmatic injection of cardioprotective Exo-CPC by increasing their bioavailability to ischemic hearts. Intravenous injection of ExoCXCR4 significantly reduced infarct size and improved left ventricle ejection fraction at 4 weeks compared to ExoCTRL (p < 0.01). Hemodynamic measurements showed that ExoCXCR4 improved dp/dt min, as compared to ExoCTRL and PBS group. In vitro, ExoCXCR4 was more bioactive than ExoCTRL in preventing CM death. This in vitro effect was independent from SDF-1α, as shown by using AMD3100 as specific CXCR4 antagonist. We showed, for the first time, that systemic administration of Exo derived from CXCR4-overexpressing CPC improves heart function in a rat model of ischemia reperfusion injury These data represent a substantial step toward clinical application of Exo-based therapeutics in cardiovascular disease.