Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Significant Remodeling Affects the Circulating Glycosaminoglycan Profile in Adult Patients with both Severe and Mild Forms of Acute Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis (AP) manifests itself either as a mild, self-limiting inflammation or a severe, systemic inflammatory process that is associated with various complications and a high mortality rate. It is unknown whether these two forms of the disease can differ in the profile of circulating glycosaminoglycans, which are molecules with huge biological reactivity due to a high density of negative electric charge. Plasma glycosaminoglycans were characterized/quantified in 23 healthy controls, 32 patients with mild AP, and 15 individuals with severe disease using electrophoresis with enzymatic identification (chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate) or an ELISA-based test (hyaluronan). Moreover, the correlations between the glycosaminoglycan levels and clinical parameters were evaluated. Both forms of AP showed similar remodeling of the plasma profile of the sulfated glycosaminoglycans. In contrast, only in the patients with mild AP was the level of circulating hyaluronan significantly decreased as compared to the healthy controls. Both forms of AP are associated with systemic changes in the metabolism of glycosaminoglycans. However, the alterations in hyaluronan metabolism may contribute to the disease evolution. The circulating hyaluronan may have some clinical value to predict the severity of AP and to evaluate the clinical status of patients with severe AP.
Diffusion Behavior of Chloride Ions in Concrete Box Girder under the Influence of Load and Carbonation

In order to study the durability degradation characteristics of concrete box girder under load and carbonation and chloride ion erosion, a scale model of concrete box girder was made for experimental research. According to the test results, the diffusion characteristics of chloride ions in the concrete box girder under the coupling effect of load and carbon dioxide were analyzed. By revising the calculation formula of the existing chloride ion concentration considering multiple factors, a calculation model of chloride ion concentration considering the influence of carbonation was proposed, and the test results were verified. The results show that the chloride concentration of the box girder on the same cross section is non-uniformly distributed due to the shear lag effect and the spatial structure. After considering the effect of carbonation, the difference rate of the improved model proposed in this paper is generally within 10%. Compared with the original model, the difference rate is reduced by a maximum of 19%.
Outcomes in adults with systolic blood pressure between 130 and 139 mmHg in Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Blood Pressure trial and Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.

BACKGROUND Patients with stage 1 systolic hypertension have increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. METHODS Using Cox models, we assess the effect of targeting an intensive SBP goal of less than 120 mmHg compared with standard SBP goal of less than 140 mmHg on the risk of CVD events in adults with stage 1 systolic hypertension with diabetes mellitus enrolled in Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Blood Pressure trial (ACCORD BP) (n = 1901) and without diabetes mellitus enrolled in Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) (n = 3484) that used identical SBP goal interventions. OUTCOMES In ACCORD BP, the primary composite CVD outcome was the first occurrence of myocardial infarction, stroke, or CVD mortality. In SPRINT, the primary composite CVD outcome was the first occurrence of myocardial infarction, other acute coronary syndrome, stroke, heart failure, or CVD mortality. RESULTS In SPRINT, targeting an intensive SBP goal significantly reduced the risk of the primary CVD outcome [hazard ratio 0.75 (95% confidence interval, 0.58-0.98); events 1.78 vs. 2.37%/year]. In ACCORD BP, the relationships of SBP goal with the primary CVD outcome was modified by the glycemia goal intervention (interaction P = 0.039). In the standard glycemia subgroup (A1c target 7-7.9%), intensive SBP goal significantly reduced the risk of the primary CVD outcome [hazard ratio 0.61 (0.40-0.94); events 1.63 vs. 2.56%/year]. In the intensive glycemia subgroup (A1c target <6%), the risk of the primary CVD outcome was not significantly different between groups [hazard ratio 1.20 (0.76-1.89); events 1.91 vs. 1.60%/year]. CONCLUSION Targeting an intensive SBP goal significantly reduced the risk of CVD events in patients with stage 1 systolic hypertension without diabetes and with diabetes on standard glycemia goal.
Plasma-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Convey Protein Signatures That Reflect Pathophysiology in Lung and Pancreatic Adenocarcinomas

Using a combination of mass-spectrometry and aptamer array-based proteomics, we characterized the protein features of circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the context of lung (LUAD) and pancreatic ductal (PDAC) adenocarcinomas. We profiled EVs isolated from conditioned media of LUAD and PDAC cell lines to identify EV-associated protein cargoes released by these cancer cell types. Analysis of the resulting data identified LUAD and PDAC specific and pan-adenocarcinoma EV protein signatures. Bioinformatic analyses confirmed enrichment of proteins annotated to vesicle-associated processes and intracellular compartments, as well as representation of cancer hallmark functions and processes. Analysis of upstream regulator networks indicated significant enrichment of TP53, MYC, TGFB1 and KRAS-driven network effectors (p = 1.69 × 10−77–2.93 × 10−49) manifest in the adenocarcinoma sEV protein cargoes. We extended these findings by profiling the proteome of EVs isolated from lung (N = 15) and pancreatic ductal (N = 6) adenocarcinoma patient plasmas obtained at time of diagnosis, along with EVs derived from matched healthy controls (N = 21). Exploration of these proteomic data revealed abundant protein features in the plasma EVs with capacity to distinguish LUAD and PDAC cases from controls, including features yielding higher performance in the plasma EV isolates relative to unfractionated plasmas.
Reducing Measurement Time in Direct Interface Circuits for Resistive Sensor Readout

Direct Interface Circuits (DICs) carry out resistive sensor readings using a resistance-to-time-to-digital conversion without the need for analog-to-digital converters. The main advantage of this approach is the simplicity involved in designing a DIC, which only requires some additional resistors and a capacitor in order to perform the conversion. The main drawback is the time needed for this conversion, which is given by the sum of up to three capacitor charge times and their associated discharge times. This article presents a modification of the most widely used estimation method in a resistive DIC, which is known as the Two-Point Calibration Method (TPCM), in which a single additional programmable digital device pin in the DIC and one extra measurement in each discharge cycle, made without slowing down the cycle, allow charge times to be reduced more than 20-fold to values around 2 µs. The new method designed to achieve this reduction only penalizes relative errors with a small increase of between 0.2% and 0.3% for most values in the tested resistance range.
Mitigation of Single-Event Effects in SiGe-HBT Current-Mode Logic Circuits

It has been known that negative feedback loops (internal and external) in a SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT) DC current mirrors improve single-event transient (SET) response; both the peak transient current and the settling time significantly decrease. In the present work, we demonstrate how radiation hardening by design (RHBD) techniques utilized in DC bias blocks only (current mirrors) can also improve the SET response in AC signal paths of switching circuits (e.g., current-mode logic, CML) without any additional hardening in those AC signal paths. Four CML circuits both with and without RHBD current mirrors were fabricated in 130 nm SiGe HBT technology. Two existing RHBD techniques were employed separately in the current mirrors of the CML circuits: (1) applying internal negative feedback and (2) adding a large capacitor in a sensitive node. In addition, these methods are also combined to analyze the overall SET performance. The single-event transients of the fabricated circuits were captured under the two-photon-absorption laser-induced single-event environment. The measurement data clearly show significant improvements in SET response in the AC signal paths of the CML circuits by using the two radiation hardening techniques applied only in DC current mirrors. The peak output transient current is notably reduced, and the settling time upon a laser strike is shortened significantly.
Encapsulating TGF-β1 Inhibitory Peptides P17 and P144 as a Promising Strategy to Facilitate Their Dissolution and to Improve Their Functionalization

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ1) is considered as a master regulator for many intracellular signaling pathways, including proliferation, differentiation and death, both in health and disease. It further represents an oncogenic factor in advanced tumors allowing cancer cells to be more invasive and prone to move into the metastatic process. This finding has received great attention for discovering new therapeutic molecules against the TGFβ1 pathway. Among many TGFβ1 inhibitors, peptides (P17 and P144) were designed to block the TGFβ1 pathway. However, their therapeutic applications have limited use, due to lack of selection for their targets and their possible recognition by the immune system and further due to their potential cytotoxicity on healthy cells. Besides that, P144 is a highly hydrophobic molecule with less dissolution even in organic solution. Here, we aimed to overcome the dissolution of P144, as well as design nano-delivery strategies to protect normal cells, to increase cellular penetration and to raise the targeted therapy of both P17 and P144. Peptides were encapsulated in moieties of polymer hybrid protein. Their assembly was investigated by TEM, microplate spectrum analysis and fluorescence microscopy. SMAD phosphorylation was analyzed by Western blot as a hallmark of their biological efficiency. The results showed that the encapsulation of P17 and P144 might improve their potential therapeutic applications.
Receptor-mediated endocytosis and phagocytosis by rainbow trout head kidney sinusoidal cells

Abstract Endocytosis by rainbow trout head kidney sinusoidal cells was studied following intravenous administration of various ligands. Immunohistochemistry was used to demonstrate that endothelial cells took up the soluble ligands ovalbumin and dinitrophenylated human serum albumin (DNP33HSA). Ovalbumin and DNP33HSA are endocytosed via the mannose- and the scavenger receptor, respectively. Sinusoidal macrophages took up DNP33HSA but only occasionally ovalbumin. The particulate ligand, colloidal human serum albumin (cHSA) (0·2-1μm) was taken up by both endothelial cells and sinusoidal macrophages. Endothelial cells were estimated to account for at least 15% of uptake of intravenously injected 125 I-tyramine cellobiose-labelled cHSA (125I-TC-cHSA) by head kidney cells. Uptake of 125I-TC-cHSA could be demonstrated in cultured head kidney macrophages. Intracellular transport of in vivo internalized 125I-TC-cHSA to lysosomal compartments occurred at a slower rate compared to ligands endocytosed via the mannose- and scavenger-receptors. Electron microscopic studies of head kidney endothelium that had taken up colloidal carbon, revealed that sinusoidal endothelial cells possess the ultra-structural apparatus characteristic for cells active in endocytosis of blood-borne ligands; namely well defined coated pits along the luminal plasma membrane, numerous intracellular vesicles and large, lysosome-like dense bodies. Thus, the results of this study suggest that both head kidney endothelial cells and sinusoidal macrophages are important 'scavenger' cells in rainbow trout.
Health Literacy Environment of Breast and Cervical Cancer among Black African Women Globally: A Systematic Review Protocol of Mixed Methods

Adequate health literacy is a necessity to enable effective decision making to seek, access and utilise appropriate health care service. Evidence exists indicating a low level of general health literacy among Black African women, especially those with a refugee background. Breast and cervical are the most common cancers, with Black African women or women with African ethnicity being disproportionately overrepresented. The level of health literacy specific to breast and cervical cancer among Black African women, especially those with a refugee background, has not been reviewed systematically. The present study describes a protocol for a systematic review of the available evidence on the level of health literacy specific to breast and cervical cancer among Black African women globally. We will perform a systematic review of the available quantitative and qualitative studies. The search will include studies that describe the level of health literacy specific to breast and cervical cancer among Black African women. We will conduct a preliminary search on Google scholar to build the concepts for search terms, and a full search strategy using the identified concepts and keywords across four databases namely PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL and Web of Sciences. We will use Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to schematically present the search strategy. We will use the standardized Joanna Briggs Institute quality appraisal and selection tool to recruit studies, and the data extraction tool to synthesise the information extracted from the recruited studies. We will be guided by socioecological theory and Indigenous epistemology to synthesise the non-quantifiable information thematically, and pool the quantitative information using meta-analysis, based on the availability of information.
Role of probiotics containing Lactobacillus reuteri in adjunct to scaling and root planing for management of patients with chronic periodontitis: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE Probiotics, nowadays are the effective in management of chronic periodontitis when used as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy. However, the beneficial effects of probiotics are varied with the nature of bacterial strain. Our meta-analysis aims at evaluating the magnitude of improvement in clinical and microbiological parameters, with administration of Lactobacillus reuteri alone in adjunct to scaling and root planning (SRP). MATERIALS AND METHODS A digitalized database search was made in MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, CENTRAL (Cochrane Registry of Trials), Web of Science, and EMBASE, to identify eleven randomized clinical trials published within last decade (2009-2019), with double blind, placebo controlled study design. The data extraction was carried out and subject to both qualitative and quantitative synthesis. The primary outcomes assessed were gain in clinical attachment level (CAL), reduction in probing pocket depth (PPD), and reduction in microbial levels. RESULTS The meta-analysis plots were used to assess all the clinical outcomes. The mean difference of reduction in PPD at 21 days (MD-0.61) and 3 months (MD-0.40), and CAL gain at 3 month (MD-0.30) showed favourable response in the sites treated with probiotics containing Lactobacillus reuteri in addition to SRP. The meta-plots for major peridonto-pathogens constructed at 21 days follow-up, showed short-term effective reduction. CONCLUSIONS Within the limits of the study, Lactobacillus reuteri containing probiotics showed a significant clinical and microbiological benefit, however, the favourable effect was shown to be short-term.
Accumulation of Agmatine, Spermidine, and Spermine in Sprouts and Microgreens of Alfalfa, Fenugreek, Lentil, and Daikon Radish

Sprouts and microgreens are a rich source of various bioactive compounds. Seeds of lentil, fenugreek, alfalfa, and daikon radish seeds were germinated and the contents of the polyamines agmatine (AGM), putrescine (PUT), cadaverine (CAD), spermidine (SPD), and spermine (SPM) in ungerminated seeds, sprouts, and microgreens were determined. In general, sprouting led to the accumulation of the total polyamine content. The highest levels of AGM (5392 mg/kg) were found in alfalfa microgreens, PUT (1079 mg/kg) and CAD (3563 mg/kg) in fenugreek sprouts, SPD (579 mg/kg) in lentil microgreens, and SPM (922 mg/kg) in fenugreek microgreens. A large increase in CAD content was observed in all three legume sprouts. Conversely, the nutritionally beneficial polyamines AGM, SPD, and SPM were accumulated in microgreens, while their contents of CAD were significantly lower. In contrast, daikon radish sprouts exhibited a nutritionally better profile of polyamines than the microgreens. Freezing and thawing of legume sprouts resulted in significant degradation of CAD, PUT, and AGM by endogenous diamine oxidases. The enzymatic potential of fenugreek sprouts can be used to degrade exogenous PUT, CAD, and tyramine at pH values above 5.
On the Enthalpy of SEAWATER1

An empirical equation for the enthalpy of seawater was determined as a function of temperature (0 to 30C) and concentration (0.01 to 0.04 g of sea salt/g seawater): The equation was derived from available heat capacity data and the second order concentration terms were determined from heat-of-mixing experiments.
Roles and challenges of primary care physicians facing a dual outbreak of COVID-19 and dengue in Singapore

Since the start of February 2020, Singapore has been battling a dual outbreak of COVID-19 and dengue with both conditions having similar presentations. Dengue is endemic in Singapore and as of 9 April 2020, there are 5091 confirmed cases of dengue and 98 active clusters (1). The number of COVID-19 cases in Singapore has risen exponentially, with 1910 confirmed cases currently (2). This poses a great challenge within primary care and provides a poignant re-minder to primary care providers to keep up with epidemiological trends and rapidly evolving case definitions when confronting a novel pandemic. We share our experience in managing this dual outbreak after two COVID-19 cases had false-positive dengue serology (3). This presented a diagnostic challenge with both conditions presenting with an acute febrile phase together with mild and undifferentiated symptoms. We also briefly discuss the health-seeking behaviours of the first 162 locally transmitted cases in Singapore and the steps taken in Singapore to reduce community transmission. These include the re-activation of the Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPC) which provides government subsidized consultation and treatment for patients diagnosed with respiratory illnesses and hence, encouraging the public to seek medical attention early and to reduce doctor hopping.
Assessment of tolerance and acceptability between mannitol solution and polyethylene glycol as bowel preparation for colonoscopy: a three-center study.

INTRODUCTION Adequate bowel preparation is one of the most important factors related to the yield of colonoscopy. Lowquality bowel preparation has been associated with lower adenoma detection rates and increased healthcare expenses. Bowel preparation is a major impediment to undergo colonoscopy since it is perceived as an unpleasant experience by patients. OBJECTIVE This study was aimed to assess tolerance and acceptability of the bowel preparation using either polyethylene glycol (PEG) or mannitol solution. MATERIALS AND METHODS We enrolled 140 patients with indications of screening for colorectal cancer or with suspected large bowel diseases. They received either mannitol solution or PEG as bowel preparation. Patients were asked to fill a questionnaire about the bowel preparation experience. RESULTS Patients perceived more burdensome the preparation with PEG than mannitol for the variables nausea overall experience, post-procedure discomfort, disagreeable flavor, volume ingested and cost (p<0.05). A similar tolerance was reported for abdominal pain, bloating and anal irritation (p>0.05). The acceptability was 82.9% and 71.4% in the Mannitol group and in the PEG group, respectively (p=0.10). CONCLUSION Acceptance of the bowel preparation between mannitol solution and PEG was comparable. However, mannitol was better tolerated by the patients in regard to most of the evaluated items.
Influence of crossbreeding and seasoning period on some characteristics of salami of Cinta Senese

Abstract The aim of the present work was to study the effect of genetic type and seasoning period on chemical and fatty acids composition of salami of Cinta Senese. Salami belonging to three genotypes (Cinta Senese (CS), Duroc (D) x Cinta Senese and Large White (LW) x Cinta Senese) were used. Analysis were performed on fresh mixture (0 day) and on cured product at three seasoning times (6, 30 and 120 days). Salami from CS and DxCS pigs showed a higher total lipid content in comparision with those from LWxCS pigs (41.90, 39.51 vs. 32.76% respectively). Moreover salami of CS showed higher percentage of MUFA (50.63 vs. 49.49 and 49.51%) and lower percentage of PUFA n-6 (8.79 vs. 9.64 and 10.28%) and total PUFA than DxCS and LWxCS, respectively. As regard seasoning period, a significant effect was found on MUFA content that increased during the seasoning. Moreover PUFA n-3 and n-6 decreased in the first three seasoning times (0, 6, 30 days) whereas at the end of curing (120 days) showed a significant increase (PUFA n-3: 0.47 vs. 0.34 vs. 0.27 vs. 0.35 %; PUFA n-6: 10.78 vs. 9.30 vs. 8.54 vs. 9.66 %; at 0, 6, 30 and 120 days, respectively).
Mitochondrial Activity and Beef Muscle Color Stability

Concentration, oxygen consumption rate (OCR), oxygen consumption rate/g meat (OCRM) and metmyoglobin reducing activity (MRA) of muscle mitochondria were determined for beef longissimus dorsi and gluteus medius muscles of Holstein and crossbred steers which differed in color stability. OCR and OCRM decreased but no significant changes were observed in MRA during postmortem storage time. Significant effects of muscle and breed type on OCR, OCRM, and MRA were observed. Muscles and breeds of lower color stability had the highest levels of OCR, OCRM, and MRA. Differences in OCR of muscle mitochondria may be a contributing factor in the effects of muscle and breed on the rate of discoloration.
Pancreatic Cancer and Its Microenvironment—Recent Advances and Current Controversies

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) causes annually well over 400,000 deaths world-wide and remains one of the major unresolved health problems. This exocrine pancreatic cancer originates from the mutated epithelial cells: acinar and ductal cells. However, the epithelia-derived cancer component forms only a relatively small fraction of the tumor mass. The majority of the tumor consists of acellular fibrous stroma and diverse populations of the non-neoplastic cancer-associated cells. Importantly, the tumor microenvironment is maintained by dynamic cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. In this article, we aim to review the most common drivers of PDAC. Then we summarize the current knowledge on PDAC microenvironment, particularly in relation to pancreatic cancer therapy. The focus is placed on the acellular stroma as well as cell populations that inhabit the matrix. We also describe the altered metabolism of PDAC and characterize cellular signaling in this cancer.