Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Annexin A2 Deficiency Exacerbates Neuroinflammation and Long-Term Neurological Deficits after Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice

Our laboratory and others previously showed that Annexin A2 knockout (A2KO) mice had impaired blood–brain barrier (BBB) development and elevated pro-inflammatory response in macrophages, implying that Annexin A2 (AnxA2) might be one of the key endogenous factors for maintaining homeostasis of the neurovascular unit in the brain. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important cause of disability and mortality worldwide, and neurovascular inflammation plays an important role in the TBI pathophysiology. In the present study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that A2KO promotes pro-inflammatory response in the brain and worsens neurobehavioral outcomes after TBI. TBI was conducted by a controlled cortical impact (CCI) device in mice. Our experimental results showed AnxA2 expression was significantly up-regulated in response to TBI at day three post-TBI. We also found more production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the A2KO mouse brain, while there was a significant increase of inflammatory adhesion molecules mRNA expression in isolated cerebral micro-vessels of A2KO mice compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Consistently, the A2KO mice brains had a significant increase in leukocyte brain infiltration at two days after TBI. Importantly, A2KO mice had significantly worse sensorimotor and cognitive function deficits up to 28 days after TBI and significantly larger brain tissue loss. Therefore, these results suggested that AnxA2 deficiency results in exacerbated early neurovascular pro-inflammation, which leads to a worse long-term neurologic outcome after TBI.
Effect of Ozone Treatment on Flavonoid Accumulation of Satsuma Mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc.) during Ambient Storage

This study aimed to compare the flavonoid accumulation between ozone-treated and untreated Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc.) fruits. The fruits exposed to gaseous ozone were found to have higher antioxidant activities and content of flavonoid during the storage period by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). To reveal the molecular regulation of flavonoid accumulation by ozone, chalcone synthase (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), β-1,3-glucanase (GLU), chitinase (CHT), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), and peroxidase (POD) were identified and their expression was examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR). These results support the promising application of ozone treatment as a safe food preservation technique for controlling postharvest disease and extending shelf-life of harvested Satsuma mandarin.
Grapevine Phyllosphere Community Analysis in Response to Elicitor Application against Powdery Mildew

The reduction of antimicrobial treatments and mainly the application of environmentally friendly compounds, such as resistance elicitors, is an impelling challenge to undertake more sustainable agriculture. We performed this research to study the effectiveness of non-conventional compounds in reducing leaf fungal attack and to investigate whether they influence the grape phyllosphere. Pathogenicity tests were conducted on potted Vitis vinifera “Nebbiolo” and “Moscato” cultivars infected with the powdery mildew agent (Erysiphe necator) and treated with three elicitors. Differences in the foliar microbial community were then evaluated by community-level physiological profiling by using BiologTM EcoPlates, high throughput sequencing of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region, and RNA sequencing for the viral community. In both cultivars, all products were effective as they significantly reduced pathogen development. EcoPlate analysis and ITS sequencing showed that the microbial communities were not influenced by the alternative compound application, confirming their specific activity as plant defense elicitors. Nevertheless, “Moscato” plants were less susceptible to the disease and presented different phyllosphere composition, resulting in a richer viral community, when compared with the “Nebbiolo” plants. The observed effect on microbial communities pointed to the existence of distinct genotype-specific defense mechanisms independently of the elicitor application.
The Orogastric Tube Guide® as a novel strategy for gastric tube insertion: a prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND Gastric tube insertion, either orally or nasally, is daily practice in anesthesia and intensive care. "Blind" insertion represents the common conventional method and is associated with low first-pass success and frequent complications. This trial aimed to evaluate the novel gastric tube guide as a rigid conduit in regard to insertion success rate, time required and associated complications vs. the conventional "blind" insertion method. We hypothesized that the insertion success rate is higher using the Orogastric tube guide. METHODS This trial was approved by ethics committee prior to patient recruitment. In a randomized order anesthetists performed oral insertion of a gastric tube either with the Orogastric tube guide (GTG) or by conventional `blind` technique (CONV) in elective surgical patients. Exclusion criteria were defined as age under 18 years, pregnancy, emergency surgery and patients without indication for tracheal intubation and gastric tube insertion. RESULTS We examined 151 patients (GTG n=71; CONV n =80). The success rate was higher with the GTG compared to the conventional method (69/71 (97%) vs. 61/80 (76%); P < 0.001). The median insertion time was 25 s (IQR [20-39]) using the GTG and 31 s [24-58] (P=0.027) with the conventional method. We found no differences with regard to complications between the groups (P=0.54). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the use of the GTG facilitates and fastens orogastric tube placement in anesthetized patients and thereby constitutes a benefit in clinical routine.
Chewing and Drinking Activity during Transition Period and Lactation in Dairy Cows Fed Partial Mixed Rations

Simple Summary It is common to feed cows varying levels of forage fibre in the time span before calving to lactation. The resulting changes in chewing time may help to evaluate if diets have adequate fibre content. Using rumination-halters to measure the chewing activities in dairy cows, we found diminished rumination and eating activity, especially around parturition. This indicates ruminal buffering insufficiency and a greater risk for rumen acidification during this period. In addition, reduced eating time in early-lactation cows was accompanied by reduced drinking time. We suggest that monitoring of chewing activity can be useful to assess rumen disorder risks of the cows during the transition period and rumination-halters may also be used as a tool to identify cows which are about to calve. Abstract Dairy cows need sufficient physically effective fibre (peNDF) in their diet to induce chewing with the latter stimulating salivation and maintaining rumen health. Thus, monitoring of chewing activity can be a non-invasive tool to assess fibre adequacy, and thus helping in the optimization of the diet. The objective of this study was to investigate and compare chewing activities of cows during transition period and in the course of lactation. Simmental dairy cows, in four different production groups such as dry period (from 8 to 6 weeks ante-calving), calving (24 h before and after calving), early-lactation (7–60 days in milk), and mid-lactation (60–120 days in milk) were used in the study. Cows were fed partial mixed rations supplemented with different amounts of concentrates. The chewing and drinking activity were recorded using rumination-halters (RumiWatch System, Itin+Hoch GmbH, Liestal, Switzerland). Feed data analysis showed that the peNDF content of the partial mixed ration (PMR) was highest during dry period, decreased around parturition, reaching the nadir in the lactation, in all cases, however, exceeding the peNDF requirements. Chewing data analysis showed that rumination time decreased (p < 0.05) in the time around parturition (from 460 min/d during dry period to 363 min/d 24 h before calving) and increased again in early-lactation (505 min/d), reaching a maximum in mid-lactation (515 min/d). Eating time was lowest for cows during early-lactation (342 min/d) and the highest for those in mid-lactation (462 min/d). Moreover, early-lactation cows spent less time (p < 0.05) drinking (8 min/d) compared to other groups (e.g., 24 min/d the day before calving and 20 min/d postpartum). Monitoring of chewing activity might be a useful tool to assess rumen disorder risks and welfare of the cows during the transition period. It further shows promising results to be used as a tool to identify cows that are shortly before calving.
Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis Strains from Different Decades

The aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of 57 Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and 56 Porphyromonas gingivalis strains isolated from subgingival biofilm samples of periodontitis patients in Switzerland from 1980 to 2017. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the most commonly used antibiotics in periodontal therapy (amoxicillin, metronidazole, azithromycin, and doxycycline) or in severe body infections (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, clindamycin, ertapenem, and moxifloxacin) were determined. Furthermore, all the strains were screened for beta-lactamase activity and the presence of selected resistance genes (cfxA, ermF, and tetQ). Overall, there was no significant increase in MIC values over the 37‑year period. Two of the most recent P. gingivalis isolates yielded the highest MIC values. The first isolate was ermF-positive with MIC values >8 µg/mL, 2 µg/mL, and 0.25 µg/mL for clindamycin, azithromycin, and moxifloxacin, respectively. The second isolate showed a high MIC value of 4 µg/mL for moxifloxacin, which was associated with a confirmed single-point mutation in the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) of the gyrA gene. Although there was no significant increase in the antibiotic resistance among the oral bacterial isolates tested, the detection of resistant P. gingivalis isolates underlines the need to optimize the antibiotic therapeutic protocols in dentistry.
Cardiac Imaging in Liver Transplantation Candidates: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives

Cardiovascular dysfunction in cirrhotic patients is a recognized clinical entity commonly referred to as cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. Systematic inflammation, autonomic dysfunction, and activation of vasodilatory factors lead to hyperdynamic circulation with high cardiac output and low peripheral vascular resistance. Counter acting mechanisms as well as direct effects on cardiac cells led to systolic or diastolic dysfunction and electromechanical abnormalities, which are usually masked at rest but exposed at stress situations. While cardiovascular complications and mortality are common in patients undergoing liver transplantation, they cannot be adequately predicted by conventional cardiac examination including transthoracic echocardiography. Newer echocardiography indices and other imaging modalities such as cardiac magnetic resonance have shown increased diagnostic accuracy with predictive implications in cardiovascular diseases. The scope of this review was to describe the role of cardiac imaging in the preoperative assessment of liver transplantation candidates with comprehensive analysis of the future perspectives anticipated by the use of newer echocardiography indices and cardiac magnetic resonance applications.
Efficacy of the Combined Protective Cultures of Penicillium chrysogenum and Debaryomyces hansenii for the Control of Ochratoxin A Hazard in Dry-Cured Ham

The ecological conditions during the ripening of dry-cured ham favour the development of moulds on its surface, being frequently the presence of Penicillium nordicum, a producer of ochratoxin A (OTA). Biocontrol using moulds and yeasts usually found in dry-cured ham is a promising strategy to minimize this hazard. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of previously selected Debaryomyces hansenii and Penicillium chrysogenum strains on growth, OTA production, and relative expression of genes involved in the OTA biosynthesis by P. nordicum. P. nordicum was inoculated against the protective cultures individually and combined on dry-cured ham for 21 days at 20 °C. None of the treatments reduced the growth of P. nordicum, but all of them decreased OTA concentration. The lower production of OTA could be related to significant repression of the relative expression of otapksPN and otanpsPN genes of P. nordicum. The efficacy of the combined protective cultures was tested in 24 dry-cured hams in industrial ripening (an 8 month-long production). OTA was detected in nine of the 12 dry-cured hams in the batch inoculated only with P. nordicum. However, in the batch inoculated with both P. nordicum and the combined protective culture, a considerable reduction of OTA contamination was observed. In conclusion, although the efficacy of individual use P. chrysogenum is great, the combination with D. hansenii enhances its antifungal activity and could be proposed as a mixed protective culture to control the hazard of the presence of OTA in dry-cured ham.
Detectable Levels of Bacterial Pathogens in the Rivers of the Lake Chaohu Basin, China

Bacterial pathogens are one of the causes of human diseases and have a serious impact on environmental health. In this study, we investigated the bacterial pathogen community in 88 sites at rivers around Lake Chaohu Basin, China, using Illumina miseq sequencing. The results showed that three opportunistic pathogens: Acinetobacter, Massilia, and Brevundimonas, were the three abundant bacterial genera in all samples, and had a relative abundance of 0.33 to 49.28% (average 8.80%), 0.06 to 25.4% (average 4.6%), 0.01 to 12.82% (average 2.6%) of all bacterial sequences, respectively. Our results indicated that a high abundance of opportunistic pathogens was observed in the rivers of the Lake Chaohu Basin, and that effective treatment and monitoring of sewage entering into rivers should be further strengthened.
Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke is associated with reduced muscle strength in US adults

Secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) exposure is a well-established risk factor for several diseases in adults. Despite the evidence that active tobacco smoke is harmful for the muscles, the association between SHS and muscle strength is still uncertain.We analyzed data from 5390 nonsmoking U.S. adults aged >30 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2014. Exposure to SHS was assessed with serum cotinine concentrations. Grip strength was measured using a Takei digital handgrip dynamometer, and combined grip strength was calculated as the sum of the largest reading from each hand. Median (interquartile range) serum cotinine and grip strength were 0.015 ng/mL (IQR 0.011-0.36) and 65.5 kg (IQR 53.4-86.4), respectively. After adjusting for sociodemographic, anthropometric, health-related behavioral, and clinical risk factors, the highest (0.047-9.9 ng/mL) vs lowest (≤0.011 ng/mL) quartile of serum cotinine was associated with a reduction in combined grip strength of 1.41 kg (95%CI: -2.58, -0.24), p-trend=0.02. These results were consistent across socio-demographic and clinical subgroups. In the US nonsmoking adult population, even low levels of exposure to passive smoking were associated with decreased grip strength. Despite great achievements in tobacco control, extending public health interventions to reduce SHS exposure is still needed.
Antiprotozoal Activity of Turkish Origanum onites Essential Oil and Its Components

Essential oil of Origanum species is well known for antimicrobial activity, but only a few have been evaluated in narrow spectrum antiprotozoal assays. Herein, we assessed the antiprotozoal potential of Turkish Origanum onites L. oil and its major constituents against a panel of parasitic protozoa. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation from the dried herbal parts of O. onites and analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) and Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The in vitro activity of the oil and its major components were evaluated against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, T. cruzi, Leishmania donovani, and Plasmodium falciparum. The main component of the oil was identified as carvacrol (70.6%), followed by linalool (9.7%), p-cymene (7%), γ-terpinene (2.1%), and thymol (1.8%). The oil showed significant in vitro activity against T. b. rhodesiense (IC50 180 ng/mL), and moderate antileishmanial and antiplasmodial effects, without toxicity to mammalian cells. Carvacrol, thymol, and 10 additional abundant oil constituents were tested against the same panel; carvacrol and thymol retained the oil’s in vitro antiparasitic potency. In the T. b. brucei mouse model, thymol, but not carvacrol, extended the mean survival of animals. This study indicates the potential of the essential oil of O. onites and its constituents in the treatment of protozoal infections.
Synthesis and Structure of Methylsulfanyl Derivatives of Nickel Bis(Dicarbollide) †

Symmetrically and unsymmetrically substituted methylsulfanyl derivatives of nickel(III) bis(dicarbollide) (Bu4N)[8,8′-(MeS)2-3,3′-Ni(1,2-C2B9H10)2], (Bu4N)[4,4′-(MeS)2-3,3′-Ni(1,2-C2B9H10)2], and (Bu4N)[4,7′-(MeS)2-3,3′-Ni(1,2-C2B9H10)2] were synthesized, starting from [Ni(acac)2]3 and the corresponding methylsulfanyl derivatives of nido-carborane (Bu4N)[10-MeS-7,8-C2B9H11] and (Bu4N)[10-MeS-7,8-C2B9H11]. Structures of the synthesized metallacarboranes were studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and quantum chemical calculations. The symmetrically substituted 8,8′-isomer adopts transoid conformation stabilized by two pairs of intramolecular C–H···S hydrogen bonds between the dicarbollide ligands. The unsymmetrically substituted 4,7′-isomer adopts gauche conformation, which is stabilized by two nonequivalent C–H···S hydrogen bonds and one short chalcogen B–H···S bond (2.53 Å, −1.4 kcal/mol). The gauche conformation was found to be also preferred for the 4,7′-isomer.
The Development of a Visual Output Approach for Programming via the Application of Cognitive Load Theory and Constructivism

Programming is a skill of the future. However, decades of experience and research had indicated that the teaching and learning of programming are full of problems and challenges. As such educators and researchers are always on the look-out for suitable approaches and paradigms that can be adopted for the teaching and learning of programming. In this article, it is proposed that a visual output approach is suitable based on the current millennials affinities for graphics and visuals. The proposed VJava Module is developed via the application of two main learning theories, which are, the cognitive load theory and constructivism. There are two submodules which consist of eight chapters that cover the topics Introduction to Programming and Java, Object Using Turtle Graphics, Input and Output, Repetition Structure, Selection Structure, More Repetition Structures, Nested Loops and Arrays. To enable Java programs to produce graphical and animated outputs, the MJava library was developed and integrated into this module. The module is validated by three Java programming experts and an instructional design expert on the module content, design and usability aspects.
Decomposition of volatile organic compounds using gliding arc discharge plasma

ABSTRACT This work provides a systematic review on the decomposition of volatile organic pollutants in flue gas through the gliding arc (GA) plasma technology. To begin with, the basic mechanisms of GA plasma generation are summarized and three characteristic stages existed during the GA plasma generation process are revealed: gas breakdown stage, equilibrium stage, and non-equilibrium stage. Then, the types of GA reactors are comparatively illustrated. Possible destruction mechanisms of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by GA plasma are discussed by taking chloroform, benzene, and methanol as examples. Furthermore, the effects of many operating parameters on the VOCs destruction efficiency are comprehensively analyzed. Simultaneously, the product distribution, energy cost, technical and economic during the whole decomposition process are considered. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of GA plasma and its further development trend are concluded from the academic and industrial application of GA plasma in VOCs decomposition. Implications: This paper comprehensively describes the principle, characteristics, research progress and engineering application examples of the degradation of volatile organics by gliding arc discharge plasma, so that readers can fully understand the degradation of volatile organics by gliding arc discharge plasma and provide theoretical basis for the industrial application of the degradation of volatile organics by gliding arc discharge plasma.
The Amyloid as a Ribbon-Like Micelle in Contrast to Spherical Micelles Represented by Globular Proteins

Selected amyloid structures available in the Protein Data Bank have been subjected to a comparative analysis. Classification is based on the distribution of hydrophobicity in amyloids that differ with respect to sequence, chain length, the distribution of beta folds, protofibril structure, and the arrangement of protofibrils in each superfibril. The study set includes the following amyloids: Aβ (1–42), which is listed as Aβ (15–40) and carries the D23N mutation, and Aβ (11–42) and Aβ (1–40), both of which carry the E22Δ mutation, tau amyloid, and α-synuclein. Based on the fuzzy oil drop model (FOD), we determined that, despite their conformational diversity, all presented amyloids adopt a similar structural pattern that can be described as a ribbon-like micelle. The same model, when applied to globular proteins, results in structures referred to as “globular micelles,” emerging as a result of interactions between the proteins’ constituent residues and the aqueous solvent. Due to their composition, amyloids are unable to attain entropically favorable globular forms and instead attempt to limit contact between hydrophobic residues and water by producing elongated structures. Such structures typically contain quasi hydrophobic cores that stretch along the fibril’s long axis. Similar properties are commonly found in ribbon-like micelles, with alternating bands of high and low hydrophobicity emerging as the fibrils increase in length. Thus, while globular proteins are generally consistent with a 3D Gaussian distribution of hydrophobicity, the distribution instead conforms to a 2D Gaussian distribution in amyloid fibrils.
Red-Hot Reactance: Color Cues Moderate the Freedom Threatening Characteristics of Health PSAs

ABSTRACT This study investigated whether color cues in health PSAs affect people’s experience of psychological reactance to health recommendations. By integrating psychological reactance theory and color-in-context theory, we predicted that reactance would be greater after viewing a threatening health PSA conveyed in red compared to other colors. Using a 3 (color: gray, green, red) × 2 (freedom threatening language: low, high) experimental design in the context of oral health, we found that red exacerbated the degree to which freedom threatening language elicited perceived freedom threat and reactance, and this effect further decreased attitude and intention toward using a firm-bristled toothbrush. These findings show the importance of considering visual communication like color cues when developing successful health campaigns.