Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alteration of the fecal microbiota in Chinese children with autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with altered gut microbiota. However, there has been little consensus on the altered bacterial species and studies have had small sample sizes. We aimed to identify the taxonomic composition and evaluate the changes in the fecal microbiota in Chinese children with ASD by using a relatively large sample size. We conducted a case–control study of 101 children with ASD and 103 healthy controls in China. Demographic information and fecal samples were collected, and the V3‐V4 hypervariable regions of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene were sequenced. The alpha and beta diversities between the two groups were significantly different. After correcting for multiple comparisons, at the phylum level the relative abundances of Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria in the case group were significantly higher than those in the control group. The relative abundance of the Escherichia‐Shigella genus in the case group was significantly higher than that of the control group, and the relative abundance of Blautia and unclassified_f__Lachnospiraceae in the control group were higher than that of the case group. Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States analysis showed that children with ASD may have disturbed functional pathways, such as amino acid metabolism, cofactor and vitamin metabolism, and the AMP‐activated protein kinase signaling pathway. This study revealed the characteristics of the intestinal flora of Chinese children with ASD and provided further evidence of gut microbial dysbiosis in ASD.
Laparoscopic treatment of incarcerated Landzert's hernia

A 50-years old woman presented to the Emergency Department after 6 h of abdominal discomfort, pain, bowel distension, nausea and vomiting. She referred acute onset of oppressive pain in left upper quadrant and left flank with painful and tender abdomen. Bowel sounds were present. Rectal examination was unremarkable. Past medical history included hypertension and no previous abdominal surgery. Laboratory tests showed a slight increasing in white blood cell count (10.800/μL) and PCR (15 mg/dL). Computed tomography revealed a cluster of ileal or jejunal loops in the leftupper quadrant (lateral to the ligament of Treitz and posterior to the inferior mesenteric vein (IMV)) with dilated proximal small bowel loops (Fig. 1). The patient was placed in a slight antiTrendelenburg position with a 10 right rotation. Three operative trocars were used. A laparoscopic exploration confirmed the diagnosis of a left paraduodenal hernia with about 130 cm of viable small bowel incarcerated. As well as adhesyolisis, gentle manoeuvres of traction and counter-traction with atraumatic graspers allowed the complete reduction of the small bowel through the peritoneal sac. The IMV, which represented the anterolateral sac’s landmark, was preserved and left in place. The hernial sac was not dissected and the orifice was closed with three interrupted readsorbable intracorporeal stitches (Vycrl 3/0, Ethicon US, LLC) from the tissue around the IMV to the transverse mesocolon and ligament of Treitz, avoiding injury to the IMV (Fig. 2). The patient had an uneventful recovery discharging on third post-operative day. No recurrences have been reported at a 20 months follow up. Internal hernia is rare and accounts for only 1% of all intestinal hernias. Paraduodenal hernias (PDH) are uncommon congenital cause of small bowel obstruction. They represent about 30–53% of all internal abdominal hernias and the most authors agrees that the hernia defect seems to arise to a congenital malrotation of the midgut, failing the fusion between posterior peritoneum and intestinal mesentery. Left PDH occur when the small bowel herniates into the left paraduodenal fossa (Landzert’s fossa) and it seems more
In situ forming hydrogel recombination with tissue adhesion and antibacterial property for tissue adhesive

In situ forming hydrogels with strong adhesive strength and antibacterial activity are of great interest to serve as tissue adhesive in fields like wound dressing and mass hemorrhage. In this study, hybrid hydrogel (GOHA) based on gelatin and oxidized hyaluronic acid was developed and endowed with excellent mechanical strength and tissue adhesion. According to our results, GOHA hydrogel exhibits a fast gelation time of around 60 s, robust compression strength of 223.43 ± 24.28 kPa, and strong adhesion of 14.33 ± 0.78 kPa to porcine skin, which is much higher than that of commercial fibrin glue (around 1.00 kPa). Meanwhile, through the loading of levofloxacin, obvious antibacterial activity can be obtained for wider applications. Notably, it would not compromise the hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility in vitro. In summary, this kind of hybrid hydrogel shows great potential as tissue adhesive in biomedical fields.
TBC1D21 is an essential factor for sperm mitochondrial sheath assembly and male fertility

Abstract During spermiogenesis, the formation of the mitochondrial sheath is critical for male fertility. The molecular processes that govern the development of the mitochondrial sheath remain unknown. Whether TBC1D21 serves as a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for GTP hydrolysis in the testis is unclear, despite recent findings indicating that it collaborates with numerous proteins to regulate the formation of the mitochondrial sheath. To thoroughly examine the property of TBC1D21 in spermiogenesis, we applied the CRISPR/Cas9 technology to generate the Tbc1d21–/– mice, Tbc1d21D125A R128K mice with mutation in the GAP catalytic residues (IxxDxxR), and Tbc1d21-3xFlag mice. Male Tbc1d21–/– mice were infertile due to the curved spermatozoa flagella. In vitro fertilization is ineffective for Tbc1d21–/– sperm, although healthy offspring were obtained by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Electron microscopy revealed aberrant ultrastructural changes in the mitochondrial sheath. Thirty-four Rab vectors were constructed followed by co-immunoprecipitation, which identified RAB13 as a novel TBC1D21 binding protein. Interestingly, infertility was not observed in Tbc1d21D125A R128K mice harboring the catalytic residue, suggesting that TBC1D21 is not a typical GAP for Rab-GTP hydrolysis. Moreover, TBC1D21 was expressed in the sperm mitochondrial sheath in Tbc1d21-3xFlag mice. Immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry demonstrated the interactions of TBC1D21 with ACTB, TPM3, SPATA19, and VDAC3 to regulate the architecture of the sperm midpiece. The collective findings suggest that TBC1D21 is a scaffold protein required for the organization and stabilization of the mitochondrial sheath morphology. Summary sentence The formation of the mitochondrial sheath is critical for male fertility, but the molecular processes that govern the development of the mitochondrial sheath remain unknown. By using multiple transgenic mouse models, we demonstrated that TBC1D21 is an essential protein for sperm mitochondrial sheath assembly and male fertility. The Tbc1d21-/- mice were infertile due to the malformation of the mitochondrial sheath assembly. Importantly, Tbc1d21D125A R128K mice were fertile, suggesting that TBC1D21 may not be a classic Rab-GTP hydrolysis protein. Tbc1d21-3XFlag mice elucidated that TBC1D21, ACTB, and TPM3 complex in the form of a double helix around the mitochondrial sheath to maintain its assembly structure. This research sheds light on the pivotal role of TBC1D21 in the organization and stabilization of the mitochondrial sheath morphology. Graphical Abstract
Assessing driving‐relevant attentional impairment after a multiday drinking session: A two‐phase pilot study

Abstract Background The possibility of residual impairment of cognitive performance after multiday drinking sessions is particularly important given the potential for the deleterious effects of fatigue and hangover. This pilot study aimed to devise a methodology to compare sober performance on driving‐relevant attentional tasks at the end of a 4‐day music festival with performance at varying levels of the breath–alcohol curve. Methods Fifty‐two participants completed selective and sustained attention tasks at a breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) of 0.00%, 0.05%, and 0.08% following acute dosing in a controlled laboratory setting. A subset of participants (n = 13) were then tested at the conclusion of a 4‐day music festival at 0.00% BrAC, with task performance compared with laboratory results. Results During the laboratory phase, sustained attention was poorer at the 0.05% ascending timepoint only (compared to 0.00% BrAC). During the festival phase, participants made a greater number of errors on the selective attention task predeparture than at 0.00% and 0.05% BrAC in the laboratory. Sustained attention performance was poorer while intoxicated in the laboratory. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the absence of blood alcohol acutely may not be indicative of unimpaired cognitive performance and that other factors related to multiday drinking may produce driving‐related attentional deficits. The findings reinforce the need to measure attentional performance in real‐world drinking contexts despite the methodological complexities of doing so. A larger study is warranted to replicate the findings and should include attentional measures that either are more sensitive to the effects of acute alcohol intoxication than those in our study or are based on a driving simulator.
Validation of a Multi-Sensor-Based Kiosk in the Use of the Short Physical Performance Battery in Older Adults Attending a Fall and Balance Clinic

Background The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) is a well-established functional assessment tool used for the screening and assessment of frailty and sarcopenia. However, the SPPB requires trained staff experienced in conducting the standardized protocol, which may limit its widespread use in clinical settings. The automated SPPB (eSPPB) was developed to address this potential barrier; however, its validity among frail older adults remains to be established. Therefore, this exploratory study compared the eSPPB and manual SPPB in patients attending a tertiary fall clinic in relation to their construct validity, reliability, and agreement. Methods We studied 37 community-dwelling older adults (mean age, 78.5±6.8 years; mean FRAIL score, 1.2±1.0; 65% pre-frail) attending a tertiary falls clinic. The participants used the mSPPB and eSPPB simultaneously. We evaluated the convergent validity, discriminatory ability, reliability, and agreement using partial correlation adjusted for age and sex, an SPPB cutoff of ≤8 to denote sarcopenia, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and Bland-Altman plots, respectively. Results The eSPPB showed strong correlations with the mSPPB (r=0.933, p<0.01) and Berg Balance Scale (r=0.869, p<0.01), good discriminatory ability for frailty and balance, and good to excellent reliability (ICC=0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.88–0.97). The Bland-Altman plots indicated good agreement with the mSPPB (mean difference, -0.2; 95% confidence interval, -3.2–2.9) without evidence of systematic or proportional biases. Conclusion The results of our exploratory study corroborated the construct validity, reliability, and agreement of the eSPPB with the mSPPB in a small sample of predominantly pre-frail older adults with increased fall risk. Future studies should examine the scalability and feasibility of the widespread use of the eSPPB for frailty and sarcopenia assessment.
Antimicrobial resistance, biofilm production and invasion of mammary epithelial cells by Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus mundtii strains isolated from bovine subclinical mastitis in Brazil

Members of the genus Enterococcus are among the most relevant etiologic agents of bovine clinical and subclinical mastitis, a major problem for the dairy industry. In Brazil, clonal diversity, and multidrug resistance profiles related to bovine infections need further investigation. In this study, 11 bacterial strains recovered from mastitis subclinical cases detected in different farms of São Paulo, Brazil, were identified as Enterococcus faecalis (n = 8) and Enterococcus mundtii (n = 3) by biochemical testing and MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry. Pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis categorized the enterococcal isolates into two main clusters (A and B) with similarity ranging from 85 to 100%. The isolates were shown to be resistant tetracycline (73%), erythromycin (73%), quinupristin–dalphopristin (64%), norfloxacin (9%), fosfomycin (9%) and linezolid (9%). Moreover, seven strains (64%) were considered multidrug‐resistant. All the isolates were able to produce biofilms when grown in milk for 24 h: 54·54% were classified as moderate producers and 45·45% were weak producers. Interestingly, only two strains (Ef17 and Em42) remained as moderate biofilm producers after 48 h incubation. Moreover, all isolates showed no ability to form biofilm in tryptic soy broth (TSB) after 24 and 48 h incubation. In addition, cytoskeleton components were partially involved in E. faecalis and E. mundtii entry to epithelial cells as demonstrated by induction of actin stress fibre. In conclusion, enterococci isolates recovered from bovine subclinical mastitis were resistant to several classes of antibiotics, showing the ability to form biofilms in milk and invade mammary epithelial cells, suggesting an advantageous feature in mammary gland colonization during mastitis development. In addition, they can spread along the food chain by different routes and eventually constitute a possible threat for public health, including E. mundtii specie.
Horizontal transmission of disseminated neoplasia in the widespread clam Macoma balthica from the Southern Baltic Sea

Disseminated neoplasia (DN) is one of the most challenging and unrecognised diseases occurring in aquatic fauna. It has been diagnosed in four bivalve species from the Gulf of Gdańsk (Southern Baltic Sea) with the highest frequency in Macoma balthica (formerly Limecola balthica), reaching up to 94% in some populations. The aetiology of DN in the Baltic Sea has not yet been identified, with earlier studies trying to link its occurrence with environmental pollution. Taking into account recent research providing evidence that DN is horizontally transmitted as clonal cells between individuals in some bivalve species, we aimed to test whether DN is a bivalve transmissible neoplasia (BTN) in the population of M. balthica from the Gulf of Gdańsk highly affected with cancer. We examined mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (mtCOI) and elongation factor 1α (EF1α) sequences of genomes obtained from haemolymph and tissues of neoplastic and healthy individuals. Sequence analysis resulted in detection of an independent transmissible cancer lineage occurring in four neoplastic clams that is not present in healthy animals. This study describes the first case of BTN in the clam M. balthica (MbaBTN), providing further insights for studies on this disease.
Discontinuation of Health Interventions Among Brazilian Older Adults During the Covid-19 Pandemic: REMOBILIZE Study

The objective of this study was to analyze changes in access to health interventions during the pandemic among Brazilian older adults and to investigate the factors associated with social and health inequalities. We conducted an online survey with Brazilian adults aged 60 + years between May and June 2020. A multidimensional questionnaire was used to investigate access to health interventions during the pandemic and associated factors. Of 1482 participants, 56.5% reported health care before the pandemic, and 36.4% discontinued it during the pandemic. The discontinuation rate was 64.4% (95% CI 61.1-67.6). Participants with higher educational level (nine or more years of education: OR 0.34; 95% CI 0.17-0.70) and higher income (eight or more times the minimum wage: OR 0.54; 95% CI 0.36-0.81) were associated with less probability of discontinuation. Presenting multimorbidity (OR: 1.42; 95% CI 1.06-1.90) and polypharmacy (OR: 0.61; 95% CI 0.46-0.81) were associated with discontinuity in health interventions. Our study showed that structural health inequities in access to health care shaped the rates of discontinuation in health care interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Strategic actions should be set up to actively monitor socially vulnerable older adults and strengthen community-based services to mitigate the discontinuation of health care interventions.
A synthesis of nitric oxide emissions across global fertilized croplands from crop‐specific emission factors

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer application to agricultural soils results in substantial emissions of nitric oxide (NO), a key substance in tropospheric chemistry involved in climate forcing and air pollution. However, the estimates of global cropland NO emissions remain uncertain due to a lack of information on direct NO emission factors (EFds) of applied N for various cropping systems at seasonal or annual scales. Here we quantified the crop‐specific seasonal and annual‐scale NO EFds through synthesizing 1094 measurements from 125 field‐based studies worldwide. The global mean crop‐specific seasonal EFd was 0.53%, with the highest for vegetables (0.75%). Among cereal crops, the EFd of maize (0.45%) or wheat (0.47%) was about three times higher than for rice (0.12%). At annual scale, the mean EFd across all cropping systems was 0.58%, with tea plantations having the highest (1.54%). For other cropping systems, the annual‐scale EFds ranged from 0.02% to 1.07%. Besides crop type, also soil organic carbon, total N, and pH as well as N fertilizer type were the main factors explaining the variations of NO EFds. Based on obtained specific EFds for each crop type, we estimated that NO emissions due to the use of synthetic fertilizers from global croplands are about 0.42–0.62 Tg N year−1. Our budgets are relatively lower if compared to estimates derived by the use of IPCC defaults for NO emissions (0.72–1.66 Tg N year−1) or reported elsewhere (0.67–1.04 Tg N year−1). In our estimates, cash crops (vegetable, tea and orchard), which cover only 9% of the world cropland area, contributed about 31% to total NO emissions from global fertilized croplands. Overall, our meta‐analysis provides improved crop‐specific NO EFds reflecting current stage of knowledge. The work also highlights the relative importance of cash crop production as sources for atmospheric NO, that is, agricultural systems on which mitigation efforts may focus.
Fetal surgery for obstructive ureterocele using an ultrasound-guided needle laser ablation technique: a case series

Abstract Introduction Obstructive ureterocele is an intravesical cystic dilation of the distal end of the ureter associated with anhidramnios and dilation of both renal pelvises. Methods This is a case-series of prenatally diagnosed ureterocele. Cases were selected at a third level reference hospital in Monterrey Mexico between 2010 and 2018. Eligible patients for fetal therapy were selected when bilateral hydronephrosis and severe oligohydramnios were found before 26+0 weeks of gestation. The fetal intervention comprised an ultrasound-guided needle laser technique for ureterocele ablation. Results There were six cases of prenatal diagnosed of ureterocele, two cases showed anhidramnios at 23 weeks of gestation and were considered obstructive ureterocele. For these two cases, fetal surgery was performed using laser ablation of the ureterocele through an ultrasound-guided needle. In both, the urinary tract was decompressed, and the volume of amniotic fluid improved allowing to carry both pregnancies until term, one of them vaginally and the other by cesarean section. In the postnatal follow-up of both cases, the first neonate died due to neonatal asphyxia at 48-hours, and the second neonate required removal of the abnormal collecting system. Conclusions The use of ultrasound-guided laser ablation for the decompression of obstructive ureterocele is a safe and feasible technique in extremely premature fetuses that could allow survival of the affected fetus until term. Patients receiving an early prenatal diagnosis of obstructive ureterocele may benefit from fetal therapy to reduce the risk of lung hypoplasia and stillbirth. Established facts Prenatal mortality of bilateral obstructive ureterocele is up to 45%. Only a few techniques have been described for the management of prenatally bilateral obstructive ureterocele; among them, the puncturing of the ureterocele which may require more than one intervention during fetal, laser by fetoscopy which may increase the risk of postoperative complications, and ultrasound-guided laser fulguration which seems to be effective and safe. Novel insights The present is the first description of a case series on ureteroceles comprising two ultrasound-guided laser therapy as an effective treatment for bilateral obstructive ureterocele requiring a single intervention. The use of ultrasound-guided laser in obstructive cases avoids fatality and lung hypoplasia due to severe oligohydramnios. Still, the neonatal prognosis of the affected side at two years of age remains unchanged.
tRNAfMet Inactivating Mycobacterium tuberculosis VapBC Toxin-Antitoxin Systems as Therapeutic Targets

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome contains an abundance of toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems, 50 of which belong to the VapBC family. The activity of VapC toxins is controlled by dynamic association with their cognate antitoxins—the toxin is inactive when complexed with VapB antitoxin but active when freed. ABSTRACT The Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome contains an abundance of toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems, 50 of which belong to the VapBC family. The activity of VapC toxins is controlled by dynamic association with their cognate antitoxins—the toxin is inactive when complexed with VapB antitoxin but active when freed. Here, we determined the cellular target of two phylogenetically related VapC toxins and demonstrate how their properties can be harnessed for drug development. First, we used a specialized RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) approach, 5′ RNA-seq, to accurately identify the in vivo RNA target of M. tuberculosis VapC2 and VapC21 toxins. Both toxins exclusively disable initiator tRNAfMet through cleavage at a single, identical site within their anticodon loop. Consistent with the essential role and global requirement for initiator tRNAfMet in bacteria, expression of each VapC toxin resulted in potent translation inhibition followed by growth arrest and cell death. Guided by previous structural studies, we then mutated two conserved amino acids in the antitoxin (WR→AA) that resided in the toxin-antitoxin interface and were predicted to inhibit toxin activity. Both mutants were markedly less efficient in rescuing growth over time, suggesting that screens for high-affinity small-molecule inhibitors against this or other crucial VapB-VapC interaction sites could drive constitutive inactivation of tRNAfMet by these VapC toxins. Collectively, the properties of the VapBC2 and VapBC21 TA systems provide a framework for development of bactericidal antitubercular agents with high specificity for M. tuberculosis cells.