Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Oral Glucose-Lowering Agents on Gut Microbiota and Microbial Metabolites

The current research and existing facts indicate that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by gut microbiota dysbiosis and disturbed microbial metabolites. Oral glucose-lowering drugs are reported with pleiotropic beneficial effects, including not only a decrease in glucose level but also weight loss, antihypertension, anti-inflammation, and cardiovascular protection, but the underlying mechanisms are still not clear. Evidence can be found showing that oral glucose-lowering drugs might modify the gut microbiome and thereby alter gastrointestinal metabolites to improve host health. Although the connections among gut microbial communities, microbial metabolites, and T2DM are complex, figuring out how antidiabetic agents shape the gut microbiome is vital for optimizing the treatment, meaningful for the instruction for probiotic therapy and gut microbiota transplantation in T2DM. In this review, we focused on the literatures in gut microbiota and its metabolite profile alterations beneficial from oral antidiabetic drugs, trying to provide implications for future study in the developing field of these drugs, such as combination therapies, pre- and probiotics intervention in T2DM, and subjects with pregestational diabetes and gestational diabetes mellitus.
Altered Innate Immunity and Damaged Epithelial Integrity in Vaginal Microbial Dysbiosis

The role of neutrophils relative to vaginal dysbiosis is unclear. We hypothesize that bacterial vaginosis (BV)-associated bacteria may induce the activation and accumulation of mucosal neutrophils within the female reproductive tract (FRT), resulting in epithelial barrier damage. We collected endocervical cytobrushes from women with and without BV and assessed bacteria community type and frequency/functional phenotypes of neutrophils. We performed in vitro whole blood co-cultures with BV-associated bacteria and healthy vaginal commensals and assessed their impact on epithelial integrity using transepithelial electrical resistance. We demonstrated increased neutrophil frequency (p < 0.0001), activation (p < 0.0001), and prolonged lifespan (p < 0.0001) in the cytobrushes from women with non-Lactobacillus dominant (nLD) communities. Our in vitro co-cultures confirmed these results and identified significant barrier damage in the presence of neutrophils and G. vaginalis. Here, we demonstrate that BV-associated bacteria induce neutrophil activation and increase lifespan, potentially causing accumulation in the FRT and epithelial barrier damage.
Targeting of the Lipid Metabolism Impairs Resistance to BRAF Kinase Inhibitor in Melanoma

Drug resistance limits the achievement of persistent cures for the treatment of melanoma, in spite of the efficacy of the available drugs. The aim of the present study was to explore the involvement of lipid metabolism in melanoma resistance and assess the effects of its targeting in cellular models of melanoma with acquired resistance to the BRAF-inhibitor PLX4032/Vemurafenib. Since transcriptional profiles pointed to decreased cholesterol and fatty acids synthesis in resistant cells as compared to their parental counterparts, we examined lipid composition profiles of resistant cells, studied cell growth dependence on extracellular lipids, assessed the modulation of enzymes controlling the main nodes in lipid biosynthesis, and evaluated the effects of targeting Acetyl-CoA Acetyltransferase 2 (ACAT2), the first enzyme in the cholesterol synthesis pathway, and Acyl-CoA Cholesterol Acyl Transferase (ACAT/SOAT), which catalyzes the intracellular esterification of cholesterol and the formation of cholesteryl esters. We found a different lipid composition in the resistant cells, which displayed reduced saturated fatty acids (SFA), increased monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA), and reduced cholesteryl esters (CE) and triglycerides (TG), along with modulated expression of enzymes regulating biosynthetic nodes of the lipid metabolism. The effect of tackling lipid metabolism pathways in resistant cells was evidenced by lipid starvation, which reduced cell growth, increased sensitivity to the BRAF-inhibitor PLX4032, and induced the expression of enzymes involved in fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism. Molecular targeting of ACAT2 or pharmacological inhibition of SOAT by avasimibe showed antiproliferative effects in melanoma cell lines and a synergistic drug interaction with PLX4032, an effect associated to increased ferroptosis. Overall, our findings reveal that lipid metabolism affects melanoma sensitivity to BRAF inhibitors and that extracellular lipid availability may influence tumor cell response to treatment, a relevant finding in the frame of personalized therapy. In addition, our results indicate new candidate targets for drug combination treatments.
Deep Learning Based Greenhouse Image Segmentation and Shoot Phenotyping (DeepShoot)

Background Automated analysis of large image data is highly demanded in high-throughput plant phenotyping. Due to large variability in optical plant appearance and experimental setups, advanced machine and deep learning techniques are required for automated detection and segmentation of plant structures in complex optical scenes. Methods Here, we present a GUI-based software tool (DeepShoot) for efficient, fully automated segmentation and quantitative analysis of greenhouse-grown shoots which is based on pre-trained U-net deep learning models of arabidopsis, maize, and wheat plant appearance in different rotational side- and top-views. Results Our experimental results show that the developed algorithmic framework performs automated segmentation of side- and top-view images of different shoots acquired at different developmental stages using different phenotyping facilities with an average accuracy of more than 90% and outperforms shallow as well as conventional and encoder backbone networks in cross-validation tests with respect to both precision and performance time. Conclusion The DeepShoot tool presented in this study provides an efficient solution for automated segmentation and phenotypic characterization of greenhouse-grown plant shoots suitable also for end-users without advanced IT skills. Primarily trained on images of three selected plants, this tool can be applied to images of other plant species exhibiting similar optical properties.
How Does Shyness Affect Chinese College Students' Tendency to Mobile Phone Addiction? Testing the Mediating Roles of Social Anxiety and Self-Control

Background and Aims Mobile phone addiction among college students has gained considerable research attention because of its adverse effects on their health and academic performance. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the relationship between shyness and mobile phone addiction among college students. Methods Four questionnaires were used to examine whether mobile phone addiction tendency was predicted by shyness and the mediating roles of social anxiety and self-control among 3,189 Chinese college students. Correlation and mediation analyses were conducted using Hayes PROCESS. Results The results showed that (1) social anxiety (indirect effect = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.18–0.26) and self-control (indirect effect = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.21–0.25) played a partial mediating role in the relationship between shyness and mobile phone addiction tendency; (2) social anxiety and self-control also mediated the link between shyness and mobile phone addiction tendency sequentially (indirect effect = 0.10, 95% CI = 0.09 to 0.12). Conclusion These results suggest that mobile phone addiction among shy college students could be eliminated by alleviating social anxiety and strengthening self-control.
Neurocognitive Impairment and Associated Factors Among Elderly in the Bahir Dar City Administration, Northwest Ethiopia

Background Neurocognitive impairment is a widely common problem in the elderly. It encompasses mild and major cognitive impairment, which will lead to disability and increase the risk of death. It also compromises the quality of life of the patient and poses a burden on the family and society as a whole. However, there is a paucity of information concerning neurocognitive impairment among the elderly in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of neurocognitive impairment and associated factors among the elderly in Bahir Dar city, Ethiopia 2020. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 respondents using a simple random sampling technique from 1 June to 30 June 2020. Neurocognitive impairment was measured using the Mini-Mental State Exam adjusted cutoff point (presence or absence) by the level of education of the participants. Data were entered into EpiData version 4.62 and exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis: descriptive statistics were used for summarization and presentation and binary logistic regression for a measure of association between exposures and outcome variable. Results The prevalence of neurocognitive impairment was 42.1%. Factors such as having no spouse [AOR = 1.76, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08–2.86], having depression (AOR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.80–5.14), lifetime alcohol use (AOR = 2.90, 95% CI: 1.19–7.07), and having low family support (AOR = 3.07, 95% CI: 1.35–6.96) and moderate family support (AOR = 1.83; 95% CI: 1.10–3.06) were significantly associated with neurocognitive impairment. Conclusion and Recommendation The prevalence of neurocognitive impairment was high in Bahir Dar city administration. Neurocognitive impairment has shown significant association with no spouse, depression, alcohol use, and low and moderate family social support. It is important to pay attention to old age with comorbid mental illness and also to strengthen social support systems to prevent and manage neurocognitive impairment.
Efficacy Enhancement of Hydrophobic Antibiotics Employing Rhamnolipid as Biosurfactant

Antibiotic resistance has become a global public-health problem, thus it is imperative that new antibiotics continue to be developed. Major problems are being experienced in human medicine from antibiotic resistant bacteria. Moreover, no new chemical class of antibiotics has been introduced into medicine in the past two decades. The aim of the current study presents experimental results that evaluate the capability of biosurfactant rhamnolipid on enhancing the efficacy of hydrophobic antibiotics. Serial dilutions of azithromycin and clarithromycin were prepared. A bacterial suspension (approximately 5X10 CFU) from an overnight culture in MSM was inoculated into 20ml sterile test tube each containing a serial 10-folds dilution of the test antibiotic(s) in broth with or without 200mgL rhamnolipid. The tubes were incubated for 24 h with vigorous shaking at 37°C. Antimicrobial activity in multiple antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria pathogens and Gram-positive bacteria were assessed using optical density technique. The results clearly demonstrated that the presence of rhamnolipid significantly improved the efficiency of both antibiotics. We hypothesized that the addition of rhamnolipid at low concentration, causes release of LPS which results in an increase in cell surface hydrophobicity. This allows increased association of cells with hydrophobic antibiotics resulting in increased cytotoxicity rates. [Abdurrahim A. Elouzi, Abdurrauf M. Gusbi, Ali M. Elgerbi. Efficacy Enhancement of Hydrophobic Antibiotics Employing Rhamnolipid as Biosurfactant. J Am Sci 2014;10(1):93-98]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.jofamericanscience. org. 17
Student Intrinsic Motivation for Online Creative Idea Generation: Mediating Effects of Student Online Learning Engagement and Moderating Effects of Teacher Emotional Support

The online creativity generation research is a new field of creativity research. However, very little is known about the specific psychological processes of online idea generation. Against this background, this study explored the correlation between student intrinsic motivation and online creativity and possible mechanisms that may lie within this relationship. A sample of 423 Chinese students from three public universities participated in this study by completing measurements of intrinsic motivation, online learning engagement, creativity, and perceived teacher emotional support. The results indicated that student online learning engagement partially mediates the positive association between student intrinsic motivation and their online creativity. Teacher emotional support moderates the positive relationship between student intrinsic motivation and online learning engagement. Our findings suggested that student online creativity benefited from their intrinsic motivation in an online environment. The limitations of this study were also discussed.
Conversion Surgery Following Immunochemotherapy in Initially Unresectable Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma—A Real-World Multicenter Study (RICE-Retro)

Purpose The present study sets out to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of conversion surgery following induction immunochemotherapy for patients with initially unresectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in a real-world scenario. Materials and Methods In this multi-center, real-world study (NCT04822103), patients who had unresectable ESCC disease were enrolled across eight medical centers in China. All patients received programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) inhibitor plus chemotherapy every 3 weeks for at least two cycles. Patients with significant relief of cancer-related clinical symptoms and radiological responsive disease were deemed surgical candidates. Feasibility and safety profile of immunochemotherapy plus conversion surgery, radiological and pathological tumor responses, as well as short-term survival outcomes were evaluated. Moreover, data of an independent ESCC cohort receiving induction chemotherapy (iC) were compared. Results One hundred and fifty-five patients were enrolled in the final analysis. Esophagectomy was offered to 116 patients, yielding a conversion rate of 74.8%. R0 resection rate was 94%. Among the 155 patients, 107 (69.0%) patients experienced at least one treatment-related adverse event (TRAE) and 45 (29.0%) patients reported grade 3 and above TRAEs. Significant differences in responsive disease rate were observed between iC cohort and induction immunochemotherapy (iIC) cohort [objective response rate: iIC: 63.2% vs. iC: 47.7%, p = 0.004; pathological complete response: iIC: 22.4% vs. iC: 6.7%, p = 0.001). Higher anastomosis fistula rate was observed in the iC group (19.2%) compared with the iIC group (4%). Furthermore, Significantly higher event-free survival was observed in those who underwent conversion surgery. Conclusion Our results supported that conversion surgery following immunochemotherapy is feasible and safe for patients with initially unresectable locally advanced ESCC. Both radiological and pathological response rates were significantly higher in the iIC cohort compared with those in the traditional iC cohort.
Comparing Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Functional and Taxonomic Diversity of Phytoplankton Community in Tropical Cascading Reservoirs

Small Hydroelectric Power Plants (SHPs) are considered hydroelectric plants of reduced size and power that modify the landscape in a lower degree. As they are generally built-in sequence along the course of a river, these reservoirs are subject to the Cascading Reservoir Continuum Concept (CRCC), which provides a gradient effect mainly observed on suspended particles and nutrients. These effects can reflect in the phytoplankton community, which respond in terms of changes in their structure and function to environmental changes. Here, we aimed to investigate whether spatial variation would be more explanatory than temporal variation for phytoplankton structure and composition in cascading SHPs reservoirs. Furthermore, we sought to understand the effect of the hydrodynamics of run-of-river and storage reservoirs for phytoplankton community composition. We assessed the predictive power of physical and chemical conditions of the water, and zooplankton density as explanatory variables for phytoplankton taxonomic and functional diversity. The study was carried out over 6 years in three SHPs located on the Paraibuna River, Brazil, totaling 24 campaigns. After counting and identification, the phytoplankton species were classified according to qualitative functional traits related to morphology, physiology, and behavior. The reservoirs had significant differences in nutrients and suspended solids, corroborating with the CRCC. Nonetheless, these variables alone were not able to explain the distribution of phytoplanktonic species. However, as significant coupling between phytoplankton and zooplankton was found, and zooplankton might have influenced the phytoplankton distribution along the longitudinal gradient of the river. Furthermore, changes in taxonomic and functional composition of phytoplankton were mainly related to reservoir hydrodynamics and temporal variation. The last reservoir in the cascade was the one with the greatest phytoplankton species and functional diversity. Taxonomic and functional diversity indices were positively correlated, but at a certain point, functional richness reached a plateau. Here we highlight the complexity of understanding the role of cascading reservoirs in the structure and function of phytoplanktonic communities, which are subject to large spatial and temporal variations, even within the same stretch of a river.
Different Types of Visual Perturbation Induced Different Demands and Patterns in Active Control: Implication for Future Sensorimotor Training

Background: Sensorimotor training using visual perturbations has been widely applied to astronauts for rapidly handling and adapting to unpredictable environments. However, these visual perturbations might not be strong enough to trigger long-term effects. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a novel sensorimotor training paradigm using pseudo-random visual perturbations and to determine the demands and patterns of active control under different types of visual perturbations. Method: Thirty healthy young adults participated in this study. Four walking conditions were randomly assigned to these participants: 1) walking without optic flow (NoOptic), 2) walking with the optic flow (Optic), 3) walking under reduced visual capability (Vre), and 4) walking under perturbed optic flow (Vpe). The dependent variables were the step length variability, the step width variability, the 95% confidence interval ellipse area, the long axis of the ellipse, and the short axis of the ellipse. Results: The results indicated that 1) the step length variability and the ellipse area were greater in Vre compared to Optic (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). Moreover, the step width variability and ellipse area were greater in Vpe than Optic (p < 0.001, p = 0.002). Conclusion: The abovementioned results demonstrated that 1) walking in both Vre and Vpe conditions required greater demands and different patterns in active controls compared to the Optic condition, suggesting both Vre and Vpe conditions could be applied for sensorimotor training; 2) the Vre condition would be the first choice if there were no concerns in potential trips on the treadmill.
The European Hernia Society Prehabilitation Project: A Systematic Review of Intra-Operative Prevention Strategies for Surgical Site Occurrences in Ventral Hernia Surgery

Background Ventral hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures worldwide. To reduce the risk of complications, pre- and intra-operative strategies have received increasing focus in recent years. To assess possible preventive surgical strategies, this European Hernia Society endorsed project was launched. The aim of this review was to evaluate the current literature focusing on pre- and intra-operative strategies for surgical site occurrences (SSO) and specifically surgical site infection (SSI) in ventral hernia repair. Methods A systematic review was conducted and reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. Databases used were Pubmed and Web of Science. Original retrospective or prospective human adult studies describing at least one intra-operative intervention to reduce SSO after ventral hernia repair were considered eligible. Results From a total of 4775 results, a total of 18 papers were considered suitable after full text reading. Prehospital chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) scrub appears to increase the risk of SSO in patients undergoing ventral hernia repair, while there is no association between any type of surgical hat worn and the incidence of postoperative wound events. Intraoperative measures as prophylactic negative pressure therapy, surgical drain placement and the use of quilt sutures seem beneficial for decreasing the incidence of SSO and/or SSI. No positive effect has been shown for antibiotic soaking of a synthetic mesh, nor for the use of fibrin sealants. Conclusion This review identified a limited amount of literature describing specific preventive measures and techniques during ventral hernia repair. An advantage of prophylactic negative pressure therapy in prevention of SSI was observed, but different tools to decrease SSIs and SSOs continuously further need our full attention to improve patient outcomes and to lower overall costs.
Autism-Risk Gene necab2 Regulates Psychomotor and Social Behavior as a Neuronal Modulator of mGluR1 Signaling

Background De novo deletion of the neuronal calcium-binding protein 2 (NECAB2) locus is associated with idiopathic autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The in vivo function of NECAB2 in the brain remains largely elusive. Methods We investigated the morphological and behavioral profiles of both necab2 knock-out and overexpression zebrafish models. The expression pattern and molecular role of necab2 were probed through a combination of in vitro and in vivo assays. Results We show that Necab2 is a neuronal specific, cytoplasmic, and membrane-associated protein, abundantly expressed in the telencephalon, habenula, and cerebellum. Necab2 is distributed peri-synaptically in subsets of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. CRISPR/Cas9-generated necab2 knock-out zebrafish display normal morphology but exhibit a decrease in locomotor activity and thigmotaxis with impaired social interaction only in males. Conversely, necab2 overexpression yields behavioral phenotypes opposite to the loss-of-function. Proteomic profiling uncovers a role of Necab2 in modulating signal transduction of G-protein coupled receptors. Specifically, co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, and confocal live-cell imaging suggest a complex containing NECAB2 and the metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1). In vivo measurement of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate further substantiates that Necab2 promotes mGluR1 signaling. Conclusions Necab2 regulates psychomotor and social behavior via modulating a signaling cascade downstream of mGluR1.