Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Novel Green Biosynthesis of 5-Fluorouracil Chromium Nanoparticles Using Harpullia pendula Extract for Treatment of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third highest major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Hence, many strategies and approaches have been widely developed for cancer treatment. This work prepared and evaluated the antitumor activity of 5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) loaded chromium nanoparticles (5-FuCrNPs). The green biosynthesis approach using Harpullia (H) pendula aqueous extract was used for CrNPs preparation, which was further loaded with 5-Fu. The prepared NPs were characterized for morphology using scanning and transmission electron microscopes (SEM and TEM). The results revealed the formation of uniform, mono-dispersive, and highly stable CrNPs with a mean size of 23 nm. Encapsulation of 5-Fu over CrNPs, with a higher drug loading efficiency, was successful with a mean size of 29 nm being produced. In addition, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) were also used for the investigation. The drug 5-Fu was adsorbed on the surface of biosynthesized CrNPs in order to overcome its clinical resistance and increase its activity against CRC cells. Box–Behnken Design (BBD) and response surface methodology (RSM) were used to characterize and optimize the formulation factors (5-Fu concentration, CrNP weight, and temperature). Furthermore, the antitumor activity of the prepared 5-FuCrNPs was tested against CRC cells (CACO-2). This in vitro antitumor study demonstrated that 5-Fu-loaded CrNPs markedly decreased the IC50 of 5-Fu and exerted more cytotoxicity at nearly all concentrations than 5-Fu alone. In conclusion, 5-FuCrNPs is a promising drug delivery system for the effective treatment of CRC.
Perceived Sound Quality Dimensions Influencing Frequency-Gain Shaping Preferences for Hearing Aid-Amplified Speech and Music

Hearing aids are typically fitted using speech-based prescriptive formulae to make speech more intelligible. Individual preferences may vary from these prescriptions and may also vary with signal type. It is important to consider what motivates listener preferences and how those preferences can inform hearing aid processing so that assistive listening devices can best be tailored for hearing aid users. Therefore, this study explored preferred frequency-gain shaping relative to prescribed gain for speech and music samples. Preferred gain was determined for 22 listeners with mild sloping to moderately severe hearing loss relative to individually prescribed amplification while listening to samples of male speech, female speech, pop music, and classical music across low-, mid-, and high-frequency bands. Samples were amplified using a fast-acting compression hearing aid simulator. Preferences were determined using an adaptive paired comparison procedure. Listeners then rated speech and music samples processed using prescribed and preferred shaping across different sound quality descriptors. On average, low-frequency gain was significantly increased relative to the prescription for all stimuli and most substantially for pop and classical music. High-frequency gain was decreased significantly for pop music and male speech. Gain adjustments, particularly in the mid- and high-frequency bands, varied considerably between listeners. Music preferences were driven by changes in perceived fullness and sharpness, whereas speech preferences were driven by changes in perceived intelligibility and loudness. The results generally support the use of prescribed amplification to optimize speech intelligibility and alternative amplification for music listening for most listeners.
Dietary phytochemicals that influence gut microbiota: Roles and actions as anti-Alzheimer agents

Abstract The last decide has witnessed a growing research interest in the role of dietary phytochemicals in influencing the gut microbiota. On the other hand, recent evidence reveals that dietary phytochemicals exhibit properties of preventing and tackling symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, which is a neurodegenerative disease that has also been linked with the status of the gut microbiota over the last decade. Till now, little serious discussions, however, have been made to link recent understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, dietary phytochemicals and the gut microbiota together and to review the roles played by phytochemicals in gut dysbiosis induced pathologies of Alzheimer’s disease. Deciphering these connections can provide insights into the development and future use of dietary phytochemicals as anti-Alzheimer drug candidates. This review aims at presenting latest evidence in the modulating role of phytochemicals in the gut microbiota and its relevance to Alzheimer’s disease and summarizing the mechanisms behind the modulative activities. Limitations of current research in this field and potential directions will also be discussed for future research on dietary phytochemicals as anti-Alzheimer agents.
Penicillium fellutanum lipase as a green and ecofriendly biocatalyst for depolymerization of poly (ɛ‐caprolactone): Biochemical, kinetic, and thermodynamic investigations

Microbial lipases hold a prominent position in biocatalysis by their capability to mediate reactions in aqueous and nonaqueous media. Herein, a lipase from Penicillium fellutanum was biochemically characterized and investigated its potential to degrade poly (ɛ‐caprolactone) (PCL). The lipase exhibited stability over a broad pH spectrum and performed best at pH 8.5 and 45 °C. The activation energy was determined to be 66.37 kJ/mol by Arrhenius plot, whereas Km and Vmax for pNPP hydrolysis were 0.75 mM and 83.33 μmol/mL/Min, respectively. A rise in temperature reduced the Gibbs free energy, whereas the enthalpy of thermal unfolding (∆H*) remains the same up to 54 °C following a modest decline at 61 °C. The entropy (∆S*) of the enzyme demonstrated an increasing trend up to 54 °C and dropped at 61 °C. Lipase retained stability by incubation with various industrially relevant organic solvents (benzene, hexanol, ether, and acetone). However, exposure to urea and guanidine hydrochloride influenced its catalytic activity to different extents. Under optimal operating conditions, lipase catalyzed the excellent degradation of PCL film degradation leading to 66% weight loss, increased surface erosion, and crystallinity. Fourier‐transform infrared spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy studies monitored the weight loss after enzymatic hydrolysis. The findings indicate that P. fellutanum lipase would be a prospective biocatalytic system for polyesters depolymerization and environmental remediation.
A Pharmacological Analysis of the Activity and Failure of the Medical Treatment of High-Grade Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcomas (OSs) are a group of neoplasms originating from bone cells, usually presenting in three specific age groups: children, young adults, and the elderly. High-grade OS is an extremely malignant tumor mainly due to evolution into metastatic disease, usually in the lungs. Survival of these patients has improved since the 1980s thanks to close cooperation between oncologists, oncological surgeons and orthopedic surgeons. Unfortunately, no progress has been made in the last 30 years and new, more effective drugs are needed. This article reviews the biological and pharmacological basis of the treatment of OS. Models of clinical pharmacology of the active drugs, toxic effects and reasons for primary and secondary resistance to old and new drugs are discussed.
Roles of microRNAs in Gastrointestinal Cancer Stem Cell Resistance and Therapeutic Development

Resistance to cancer treatment is one of the major challenges currently faced when treating gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. A major contributing factor to this resistance is the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in GI cancers (e.g., colorectal, pancreatic, gastric, liver cancer). Non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), have been found to regulate several key targets that are responsible for cancer stemness, and function as oncogenic miRNAs (oncomiRs) or tumor suppressor miRNAs. As a result, several miRNAs have been found to alter, or be altered by, the expression of CSC-defining markers and their related pathways. These miRNAs can be utilized to affect stemness in multiple ways, including directly targeting CSCs and enhancing the efficacy of cancer therapeutics. This review highlights current studies regarding the roles of miRNAs in GI CSCs, and efforts towards the development of cancer therapeutics.
Efficiency of high rate treatment of low-strength municipality sewage by a pilot-scale combination system of a sedimentation tank and a down-flow hanging sponge reactor

ABSTRACT Down-flow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor that is sponge-based trickling filter was considered to be an alternative aerobic treatment system for low strength sewage treatment under tropical conditions. This study aims to determine the process performance of the DHS reactor combined with a pre-treatment sedimentation tank (SED) system installed at the municipality sewage treatment plant in Khon Kaen, Thailand over, 1,600 days. The DHS reactor was operated with three operational periods: low (0.2 kgBODm3 per day), high (0.5–1.3 kgBODm3 per day), and super rates (1.7–2.2. kgBODm3 per day). The results showed effective reductions in biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and suspended solids by more than 74% and 78%, respectively, during the entire experimental period. Moreover, the final effluent met the Thailand discharge standard with an external short hydraulic retention time of 0.2 h. In addition, the combined system facilitates simultaneous nitrification and denitrification and effectively removed up to 43% of total nitrogen. The self-degradation of the organic compounds occurs owing to the retained sludge in the DHS reactor; this leads to undisputed clogging in sponge media. Therefore, the combined SED-DHS system could be an appropriate sewage treatment system for tropical conditions. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Proton Pump Inhibitors, Associated Complications, and Alternative Therapies: A Shifting Risk Benefit Ratio

Objective Our goal was to compile the most recent and accurate data on the side effects of proton pump inhibitors (PPI). We also compared the efficacy of PPI to the efficacy of different surgical options for acid reflux control. Background Proton pump inhibitors are the primary therapy for chronic control of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), but newer studies demonstrate deleterious side effects. Collating this information and contrasting it with surgical therapy for GERD provides evidence for possible practice changes in treatment. Methods A literature search utilizing PubMed was performed evaluating for PPI and anti-reflux surgery (ARS), focusing on articles that reflected information regarding the usage and efficacy of symptom control of both PPI and ARS. Search terms included “ARS, fundoplication, MSA, acute interstitial nephritis, acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, meta-analysis, PPI, H2 blocker, cardiovascular risk, and gut dysbiosis. ” We evaluated 271 articles by title, abstract, and data for relevance and included 70. Results Long-term control of GERD with PPI may have a greater than expected side effect profile than initially thought. Surgical options may provide greater symptom control than PPI without the side effects of long-term medical therapy. Conclusions Anti-reflux control can be safely achieved with either PPI or surgical options; however, the long-term side effects noted in the review such as increased risk of cardiovascular events, renal disease, and gut dysbiosis may suggest surgical anti-reflux control as a better long-term option.
Mediating Factors between Childhood Traumatic Experiences and Eating Disorders Development: A Systematic Review

Background: Many people with eating disorders often report having suffered some kind of childhood trauma. For this reason, many studies have attempted to explore the mediating factors between traumatic experiences and the development of eating disorders. The aim of our study is to conduct a systematic review of published works on the mediating factors between childhood trauma and the development of eating disorders. Method: This review was carried out up to 5 December, 2020, using the databases PsycInfo and PubMed, combining the keywords, and applying a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: A total of 18 articles were retrieved. After the articles were analyzed, a set of mediating factors between childhood trauma and the development of eating disorders was established, including pathological dissociation, difficulty with emotion self-regulation, body dissatisfaction, negative affect/depression, anxiety, general distress, self-criticism, and alexithymia, among others. Conclusions: In addition to evaluating trauma in eating disorders, these results highlight the importance of paying special attention to the presence of various possible mediating factors, which must be taken into account in the planning of therapeutic treatment. Identifying symptoms of trauma or eating disorders early on could prevent onset of more severe psychopathology during adulthood.
Toward Nitrite-Free Curing: Evaluation of a New Approach to Distinguish Real Uncured Meat from Cured Meat Made with Nitrite

After the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified ingested nitrites and nitrates as “probably carcinogenic to humans” under conditions favoring endogenous nitrosation, several meat products labeled as “made without nitrite” were launched. In order to distinguish uncured products truly made without nitrite from cured products made with any nitrite source (vegetal or mineral), this article presents an approach to detect and quantify nitrite from different origins added to meat. The method consists on the determination of nitrous oxide as a target compound using headspace gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-GC–MS). Nitrous oxide (N2O) is formed after two reduction steps: from nitrite to nitric oxide (NO) and then to N2O. The NO is bound to myoglobin (Mb) or metmyoglobin (Met-Mb), forming a complex, which is subsequently released using sulfuric acid, which also favors the reduction to N2O. The HS-GC–MS conditions were split ratio 1:10; injection temperature at 70 °C; incubation temperature at 30 °C and time 45 min; and injection volume 1 mL. As a result, a relationship was established between the concentration of nitrite in cooked ham samples and the area of the N2O peak generated, meaning that this method allows the quantification of added nitrite within a concentration range of 10 to 100 mg kg−1.
RGB-D Point Cloud Registration Based on Salient Object Detection

We propose a robust algorithm for aligning rigid, noisy, and partially overlapping red green blue-depth (RGB-D) point clouds. To address the problems of data degradation and uneven distribution, we offer three strategies to increase the robustness of the iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm. First, we introduce a salient object detection (SOD) method to extract a set of points with significant structural variation in the foreground, which can avoid the unbalanced proportion of foreground and background point sets leading to the local registration. Second, registration algorithms that rely only on structural information for alignment cannot establish the correct correspondences when faced with the point set with no significant change in structure. Therefore, a bidirectional color distance (BCD) is designed to build precise correspondence with bidirectional search and color guidance. Third, the maximum correntropy criterion (MCC) and trimmed strategy are introduced into our algorithm to handle with noise and outliers. We experimentally validate that our algorithm is more robust than previous algorithms on simulated and real-world scene data in most scenarios and achieve a satisfying 3-D reconstruction of indoor scenes.
Mechanical Performance of Artificial Hip Stems Manufactured by Hot Forging and Selective Laser Melting Using Biocompatible Ti-15Zr-4Nb Alloy

We investigated the microstructures, tensile properties, fatigue strengths, and durability limits of hot-forged Ti-15Zr-4Nb (Ti-15-4) alloy artificial hip stems. These properties were compared with those of Ti-15Zr-4Nb-4Ta (Ti-15-4-4) and Ti-6Al-4V (Ti-6-4) alloy stems annealed after selective laser melting. The tensile and fatigue properties of test specimens cut from Ti-15-4 stems annealed after hot forging were excellent compared with those of the Alloclassic Zweymüller Stepless (SL) stem, which is used globally. The 0.2% proof stress (σ0.2%PS), ultimate tensile strength (σUTS), total elongation (TE) at breaking, and fatigue strength (σFS) after 107 cycles were 919 ± 10, 983 ± 9 MPa, 21 ± 1%, and 855 ± 14 MPa, respectively. The durability limit (PD) after 5 × 106 cycles of Ti-15-4 stems was excellent compared with that of the SL stem. The σUTS values of 90°- and 0°-direction-built Ti-15-4-4 rods were 1032 ± 1 and 1022 ± 2 MPa, and their TE values were 14 ± 1% and 16 ± 1%, respectively. The σFS values of annealed 90°-direction-built Ti-15-4-4 and Ti-6-4 rods were 640 ± 11 and 680 ± 37 MPa, respectively, which were close to that of the wrought Ti-15-4 rod (785 ± 17 MPa). These findings indicate that the hot forging and selective laser melting (SLM) techniques can also be applied to the manufacture of artificial hip prostheses. In particular, it was clarified that selective laser melting using Ti-15-4-4 and Ti-6-4 powders is useful for the low-cost manufacturing of custom-made artificial joint prostheses and other prosthetic implants.
Role of Transposable Elements in Gene Regulation in the Human Genome

Transposable elements (TEs), also known as mobile elements (MEs), are interspersed repeats that constitute a major fraction of the genomes of higher organisms. As one of their important functional impacts on gene function and genome evolution, TEs participate in regulating the expression of genes nearby and even far away at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. There are two known principal ways by which TEs regulate the expression of genes. First, TEs provide cis-regulatory sequences in the genome with their intrinsic regulatory properties for their own expression, making them potential factors for regulating the expression of the host genes. TE-derived cis-regulatory sites are found in promoter and enhancer elements, providing binding sites for a wide range of trans-acting factors. Second, TEs encode for regulatory RNAs with their sequences showed to be present in a substantial fraction of miRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), indicating the TE origin of these RNAs. Furthermore, TEs sequences were found to be critical for regulatory functions of these RNAs, including binding to the target mRNA. TEs thus provide crucial regulatory roles by being part of cis-regulatory and regulatory RNA sequences. Moreover, both TE-derived cis-regulatory sequences and TE-derived regulatory RNAs have been implicated in providing evolutionary novelty to gene regulation. These TE-derived regulatory mechanisms also tend to function in a tissue-specific fashion. In this review, we aim to comprehensively cover the studies regarding these two aspects of TE-mediated gene regulation, mainly focusing on the mechanisms, contribution of different types of TEs, differential roles among tissue types, and lineage-specificity, based on data mostly in humans.
Reliability of Bi-Axial Ankle Stiffness Measurement in Older Adults

This study involves measurements of bi-axial ankle stiffness in older adults, where the ankle joint is passively moved along the talocrural and subtalar joints using a custom ankle movement trainer. A total of 15 elderly individuals participated in test–retest reliability measurements of bi-axial ankle stiffness at exactly one-week intervals for validation of the angular displacement in the device. The ankle’s range of motion was also compared, along with its stiffness. The kinematic measurements significantly corresponded to results from a marker-based motion capture system (dorsi-/plantar flexion: r = 0.996; inversion/eversion: r = 0.985). Bi-axial ankle stiffness measurements showed significant intra-class correlations (ICCs) between the two visits for all ankle movements at slower (2.14°/s, ICC = 0.712) and faster (9.77°/s, ICC = 0.879) speeds. Stiffness measurements along the talocrural joint were thus shown to have significant negative correlation with active ankle range of motion (r = −0.631, p = 0.012). The ankle movement trainer, based on anatomical characteristics, was thus used to demonstrate valid and reliable bi-axial ankle stiffness measurements for movements along the talocrural and subtalar joint axes. Reliable measurements of ankle stiffness may help clinicians and researchers when designing and fabricating ankle-foot orthosis for people with upper-motor neuron disorders, such as stroke.
Extension of the CL&Pol Polarizable Force Field to Electrolytes, Protic Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents

The polarizable CL&Pol force field presented in our previous study, Transferable, Polarizable Force Field for Ionic Liquids (J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2019, 15, 5858, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.9b00689), is extended to electrolytes, protic ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents, and glycols. These systems are problematic in polarizable simulations because they contain either small, highly charged ions or strong hydrogen bonds, which cause trajectory instabilities due to the pull exerted on the induced dipoles. We use a Tang-Toennies function to dampen, or smear, the interactions between charges and induced dipole at short range involving small, highly charged atoms (such as hydrogen or lithium), thus preventing the ``polarization catastrophe''. The new force field gives stable trajectories and is validated through comparison with experimental data on density, viscosity, and ion diffusion coefficients of liquid systems of the above-mentioned classes. The results also shed light on the hydrogen-bonding pattern in ethylammonium nitrate, a protic ionic liquid, for which the literature contains conflicting views. We describe the implementation of the Tang-Toennies damping function, of the temperature-grouped Nosé-Hoover thermostat for polarizable molecular dynamics and of the periodic perturbation method for viscosity evaluation from non-equilibrium trajectories in the LAMMPS molecular dynamics code. The main result of this work is the wider applicability of the CL&Pol polarizable force field to new, important classes of fluids, achieving robust trajectories and a good description of equilibrium and transport properties in challenging systems. The fragment-based approach of CL&Pol will allow ready extension to a wide variety of protic ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents and electrolytes.
An affibody-conjugated nanoprobe for IGF-1R targeted cancer fluorescent and photoacoustic dual-modality imaging

Dual-modal molecular imaging that combines photoacoustic imaging with near-infrared fluorescence imaging integrates the benefits of both imaging modalities and may achieve more precise detection of disease. In this study, silver sulfide quantum dots (Ag2S QDs) with superior photoacoustic properties and a strong fluorescent emission in the NIR region were successfully synthesized. They were further modified with the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) targeted small scaffold protein, Affibody (ZIGF-1) to achieved targeted photoacoustic/fluorescent dual-modal imaging of cancer. Our results showed that the prepared nanoprobe had good tumor targeting properties in vivo, and the probe also showed good biocompatibility without any significant toxicity.