Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contribution of Adipose Tissue Oxidative Stress to Obesity-Associated Diabetes Risk and Ethnic Differences: Focus on Women of African Ancestry

Adipose tissue (AT) storage capacity is central in the maintenance of whole-body homeostasis, especially in obesity states. However, sustained nutrients overflow may dysregulate this function resulting in adipocytes hypertrophy, AT hypoxia, inflammation and oxidative stress. Systemic inflammation may also contribute to the disruption of AT redox equilibrium. AT and systemic oxidative stress have been involved in the development of obesity-associated insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) through several mechanisms. Interestingly, fat accumulation, body fat distribution and the degree of how adiposity translates into cardio-metabolic diseases differ between ethnicities. Populations of African ancestry have a higher prevalence of obesity and higher T2D risk than populations of European ancestry, mainly driven by higher rates among African women. Considering the reported ethnic-specific differences in AT distribution and function and higher levels of systemic oxidative stress markers, oxidative stress is a potential contributor to the higher susceptibility for metabolic diseases in African women. This review summarizes existing evidence supporting this hypothesis while acknowledging a lack of data on AT oxidative stress in relation to IR in Africans, and the potential influence of other ethnicity-related modulators (e.g., genetic-environment interplay, socioeconomic factors) for consideration in future studies with different ethnicities.
Trends in Molecular Diagnosis and Diversity Studies for Phytosanitary Regulated Xanthomonas

Bacteria in the genus Xanthomonas infect a wide range of crops and wild plants, with most species responsible for plant diseases that have a global economic and environmental impact on the seed, plant, and food trade. Infections by Xanthomonas spp. cause a wide variety of non-specific symptoms, making their identification difficult. The coexistence of phylogenetically close strains, but drastically different in their phenotype, poses an added challenge to diagnosis. Data on future climate change scenarios predict an increase in the severity of epidemics and a geographical expansion of pathogens, increasing pressure on plant health services. In this context, the effectiveness of integrated disease management strategies strongly depends on the availability of rapid, sensitive, and specific diagnostic methods. The accumulation of genomic information in recent years has facilitated the identification of new DNA markers, a cornerstone for the development of more sensitive and specific methods. Nevertheless, the challenges that the taxonomic complexity of this genus represents in terms of diagnosis together with the fact that within the same bacterial species, groups of strains may interact with distinct host species demonstrate that there is still a long way to go. In this review, we describe and discuss the current molecular-based methods for the diagnosis and detection of regulated Xanthomonas, taxonomic and diversity studies in Xanthomonas and genomic approaches for molecular diagnosis.
Antithrombotic Management and Long-Term Outcomes of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation. Insights from CRAFT Trial

Background: We aimed to compare long-term outcomes in Polish patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) according to oral anticoagulation (OAC) type and to evaluate the predictive value of common thromboembolic and bleeding risk scores. Methods: Data from the CRAFT trial (NCT02987062) were included. The primary study endpoint was major adverse event (MAE; all-cause death, thromboembolic and hemorrhagic event) during the mean four-year follow-up period. Results: Out of 2983 patients with available follow-up data, 1686 (56%) were prescribed with vitamin K antagonist (VKA), 891 (30%) with rivaroxaban and 406 (14%) with dabigatran. Predominance of elderly and female patients with previous history of thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events was observed within rivaroxaban (vs. other OAC) group. Higher rate of MAEs and its components was observed in patients on VKA followed by rivaroxaban as compared to patients on dabigatran (43% vs. 42% vs. 31%, p < 0.01). After group matching based on clinical characteristics, higher risk of hemorrhagic events in VKA (vs. dabigatran) and rivaroxaban (vs. dabigatran) group were observed. The available thromboembolic (CHA2DS2-VASs, ATRIA, R2CHADS2) and bleeding (HAS-BLED, ATRIA, ORBIT) risk scores showed poor prediction value. Conclusions: Despite no difference in the thromboembolic event rate, treatment with VKA and rivaroxaban was associated with a significant increase in the risk of hemorrhagic events.
The Long-Term Effects of High-Fat and High-Protein Diets on the Metabolic and Endocrine Activity of Adipocytes in Rats

Simple Summary The increasing prevalence of worldwide obesity and growing awareness of its negative consequences are forcing scientists to take a new view of nutrition and search for new diets. Therefore, to find some new relationships between diet and metabolism, we analyzed the effects of the long-term (60 and 120 days) use of a high-protein diet (HPD) and of a high-fat diet (HFD) on the metabolic and endocrine functions of fat tissue and on biochemical indices in rat blood in the present study. This research helped us to understand the roles of diet in the metabolic and endocrine functioning of adipocytes. Our study indicated that an HFD has a negative effect on fat tissue function, whereas the HPD showed positive results, such as increased insulin sensitivity and improved glucose and lipid metabolism in isolated adipocytes in vitro. Abstract The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity and the rising awareness of their negative consequences are forcing researchers to take a new view of nutrition and its consequences for the metabolism of whole organisms as well as the metabolism of their individual systems and cells. Despite studies on nutrition having been carried out for a few decades, not many of them have focused on the impacts of these diets on changes in the metabolism and endocrine functions of isolated adipocytes. Therefore, we decided to investigate the effects of the long-term use (60 and 120 days) of a high-fat diet (HFD) and of a high-protein diet (HPD) on basic metabolic processes in fat cells—lipogenesis, lipolysis, and glucose uptake—and endocrine function, which was determined according to the secretion of adipokines into the incubation medium. Our results proved that the HPD diet improved insulin sensitivity, increased the intracellular uptake of glucose (p < 0.01) and its incorporation into lipids (p < 0.01) and modulated the endocrine function of these cells (decreasing leptin secretion; p < 0.01). The levels of biochemical parameters in the serum blood also changed in the HPD-fed rats. The effects of the HFD were inverse, as expected. We observed a decrease in adiponectin secretion and a diminished rate of lipogenesis (p < 0.01). Simultaneously, the secretion of leptin and resistin (p < 0.01) from isolated adipocytes increased. In conclusion, we noted that the long-term use of HPD and HFD diets modulates the metabolism and endocrine functions of isolated rat adipocytes. We summarize that an HFD had a negative effect on fat tissue functioning, whereas an HPD had positive results, such as increased insulin sensitivity and an improved metabolism of glucose and lipids in fat tissue. Moreover, we noticed that negative metabolic changes are reflected more rapidly in isolated cells than in the metabolism of the whole organism.
Cutting force measurement: Hand tool instrumentation used in slaughterhouses – a systematic review

Workers' intensive use of hand tool cutting in the meat packing industry is a risk factor for occupational health, mainly by mechanical compression of tissues in the upper limbs, which can cause Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs). This systematic review aimed to identify the characteristics and measured variables of instrumented knives and determine how they should be designed. The review process and article extractions occurred through an analysis of the (article) titles, keywords and abstracts, followed by reading the full texts by two reviewers independently. Searches were conducted in Medline, Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, Ebsco and Engineering Village for articles published in peer-reviewed journals from January 2000 to March 2019, in the English language. The result of (the) search included 1289 potentially eligible studies, with 894 duplicated/triplicated/quadruplicated articles that were excluded, resulting in 404 remaining articles of which 33 were considered eligible, with 36 additional articles, totaling 69 evaluated full texts. After the review, none of the 14 analyzed studies, were rated as having good methodological quality. In addition, four types of instrumented knives were used. Data acquisition was performed in both laboratory and meat processing plants. It is noteworthy that only one knife was submitted to a validation process and that the articles did not provide complete technical information about the knives. The result demonstrated that the cutting force varies within and between subjects, tasks, plants and blade finishings. All knives used some type of electrical connection via cable or wires. Of the articles found, none considered the influences that the workers are subject to when they do not use the same tool daily for data acquisition. Therefore, the development of different types of instrumented knives, with wireless data transmission and more rigorous studies are necessary to expand the knowledge of the cutting force and development of WMSD in slaughterhouse workers who perform meat cutting.
Crohn’s Disease Increases the Mesothelial Properties of Adipocyte Progenitors in the Creeping Fat

Our understanding of the interplay between human adipose tissue and the immune system is limited. The mesothelium, an immunologically active structure, emerged as a source of visceral adipose tissue. After investigating the mesothelial properties of human visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue and their progenitors, we explored whether the dysfunctional obese and Crohn’s disease environments influence the mesothelial/mesenchymal properties of their adipocyte precursors, as well as their ability to mount an immune response. Using a tandem transcriptomic/proteomic approach, we evaluated the mesothelial and mesenchymal expression profiles in adipose tissue, both in subjects covering a wide range of body-mass indexes and in Crohn’s disease patients. We also isolated adipose tissue precursors (adipose-derived stem cells, ASCs) to assess their mesothelial/mesenchymal properties, as well as their antigen-presenting features. Human visceral tissue presented a mesothelial phenotype not detected in the subcutaneous fat. Only ASCs from mesenteric adipose tissue, named creeping fat, had a significantly higher expression of the hallmark mesothelial genes mesothelin (MSLN) and Wilms’ tumor suppressor gene 1 (WT1), supporting a mesothelial nature of these cells. Both lean and Crohn’s disease visceral ASCs expressed equivalent surface percentages of the antigen-presenting molecules human leucocyte antigen—DR isotype (HLA-DR) and CD86. However, lean-derived ASCs were predominantly HLA-DR dim, whereas in Crohn’s disease, the HLA-DR bright subpopulation was increased 3.2-fold. Importantly, the mesothelial-enriched Crohn’s disease precursors activated CD4+ T-lymphocytes. Our study evidences a mesothelial signature in the creeping fat of Crohn’s disease patients and its progenitor cells, the latter being able to present antigens and orchestrate an immune response.
Predicting Long-Term Mortality in TAVI Patients Using Machine Learning Techniques

Background: Whereas transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become the gold standard for aortic valve stenosis treatment in high-risk patients, it has recently been extended to include intermediate risk patients. However, the mortality rate at 5 years is still elevated. The aim of the present study was to develop a novel machine learning (ML) approach able to identify the best predictors of 5-year mortality after TAVI among several clinical and echocardiographic variables, which may improve the long-term prognosis. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 471 patients undergoing TAVI. More than 80 pre-TAVI variables were collected and analyzed through different feature selection processes, which allowed for the identification of several variables with the highest predictive value of mortality. Different ML models were compared. Results: Multilayer perceptron resulted in the best performance in predicting mortality at 5 years after TAVI, with an area under the curve, positive predictive value, and sensitivity of 0.79, 0.73, and 0.71, respectively. Conclusions: We presented an ML approach for the assessment of risk factors for long-term mortality after TAVI to improve clinical prognosis. Fourteen potential predictors were identified with the organic mitral regurgitation (myxomatous or calcific degeneration of the leaflets and/or annulus) which showed the highest impact on 5 years mortality.
Trajectories of Eating Behaviour Changes during Adolescence

Adolescence represents a critical transition phase during which individuals acquire eating behaviours that can track into adulthood. This study aims to characterise trends in eating behaviours throughout adolescence by investigating the presence of sub-groups of individuals presenting distinct trajectories of vegetable and fruit, sugary beverage, breakfast and fast-food consumption. Data from 744 MATCH study Canadian participants followed from 11 to 18 Years old (2013–2019) were included in the analyses. Participants reported how often they ate breakfast and consumed vegetables and fruits, sugary beverages and fast foods. Trajectories of eating behaviours over seven years were identified using group-based multi-trajectory modelling. For girls, three different groups were identified, namely ‘stable food intake with a decline in daily breakfast consumption’ (39.9%), ‘moderate food intake and worsening in overall eating behaviours’ (38.0%) and ‘stable high food intake’ (22.1%). For boys, five different groups were identified, namely ‘low food intake with stable daily breakfast consumption’ (27.3%), ‘breakfast-skippers and increasing fast food intake’ (27.1%), ‘low food intake with a decline in daily breakfast consumption’ (23.9%), ‘high food intake with worsening of eating behaviours’ (13.3%) and ‘average food intake with consistently high breakfast consumption’ (8.4%). Eating behaviours evolve through various distinct trajectories and sub-group-specific strategies may be required to promote healthy eating behaviours among adolescents.
Thermoregulatory and Feeding Behavior under Different Management and Heat Stress Conditions in Heifer Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in the Tropics

Simple Summary Silvopastoral systems can modulate the thermoregulatory behavior of buffaloes decreasing the heat stress and improving the animal welfare in the tropics. The objective of this study was to compare the behavior of heifer buffaloes in a silvopastoral systems with Leucahena leucocephala trees and a conventional system without trees under two heat stress condition (intense heat stress and moderate heat stress) in Cuba. The results show that despite intense heat stress conditions, the animals spent more time feeding in the silvopastoral system than in the conventional system. Besides, the silvopastoral system reduced the use of water in the wallowing areas. We conclude that pastures with trees increase fodder offer while improve grazing behavior and animal welfare for buffalo farming in tropical conditions. Abstract In the wake of climate change and global warming, the production systems of water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) are receiving increasing attention in the tropics, where the silvopastoral systems can improve animal welfare and production conditions. The objective of this study was to characterize the behavior of heifer buffaloes in a silvopastoral system (SPS) with Leucaena leucocephala (600 trees/ha) and in a conventional system (CVS), under intense heat stress and moderate heat stress in Cuba. We observed nine animals, with an average weight of 167.9 kg at the beginning of the study, during the daylight period, from 6:00 to 18:00 h, at 10 min intervals, for 12 days. Activities recorded were grazing, ingestion of tree leaves, rumination, water intake, walking, lying, standing, sheltering in the shade of trees, and wallowing. Sheltering in the shade of trees and wallowing were collectively considered as thermoregulatory behavior (TB). TB was different in both systems and conditions of heat stress (p < 0.05), with 4.06 in CVS and 3.81 h in SPS in the intense heat stress period, while it was 2.91 and 1.08 h for SPS and CVS, respectively, during the moderate heat stress period. The wallowing activity showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in the intense heat stress season with 1.18 and 2.35 h for SPS and CVS, respectively. Time spent on feeding behavior was highest in the SPS system (p < 0.05). Longer times of thermoregulatory and feeding behavior indicate the importance of trees in animal welfare for this species in tropical conditions, thus supporting avoided deforestation and the replanting of trees in existing production systems and landscapes.
Bacillus subtilis PcrA Helicase Removes Trafficking Barriers

Bacillus subtilis PcrA interacts with the RNA polymerase and might contribute to mitigate replication–transcription conflicts (RTCs). We show that PcrA depletion lethality is partially suppressed by rnhB inactivation, but cell viability is significantly reduced by rnhC or dinG inactivation. Following PcrA depletion, cells lacking RnhC or DinG are extremely sensitive to DNA damage. Chromosome segregation is not further impaired by rnhB or dinG inactivation but is blocked by rnhC or recA inactivation upon PcrA depletion. Despite our efforts, we could not construct a ΔrnhC ΔrecA strain. These observations support the idea that PcrA dismantles RTCs. Purified PcrA, which binds single-stranded (ss) DNA over RNA, is a ssDNA-dependent ATPase and preferentially unwinds DNA in a 3′→5′direction. PcrA unwinds a 3′-tailed RNA of an RNA-DNA hybrid significantly faster than that of a DNA substrate. Our results suggest that a replicative stress, caused by mis-incorporated rNMPs, indirectly increases cell viability upon PcrA depletion. We propose that PcrA, in concert with RnhC or DinG, contributes to removing spontaneous or enzyme-driven R-loops, to counteract deleterious trafficking conflicts and preserve to genomic integrity.
Collaborative Medication Reviews to Identify Inappropriate Prescribing in Pre-Admission Medications at Emergency Department Short-Term Ward

Purpose Collaborative medication reviews (CMR) have been shown to reduce inappropriate prescribing (IP) in various settings. This study aimed at describing a CMR practice in an emergency department (ED) short-term ward in Finland to investigate IP in pre-admission medications. Patients and Methods Pre-admission medications were collaboratively reviewed for all the adult ED admissions within a 5-month study period in 2016. Types of IP were inductively categorized, and descriptive statistics were used to show the incidence and type of IP events. Results The pre-admission medications of 855 adult ED patients were reviewed by the pharmacist, with 113 IP events identified in 83 (9.7%) of the patients. The majority (81%, n=67) of these patients were older adults (≥65 years). Of these 94 IP events identified in 67 older patients, 58 (62%) were confirmed by the ED physicians. The following 3 main categories were inductively developed for the types of identified and confirmed IP events: 1) Misprescribing (prescription of medications that significantly increase the risk of adverse drug events); 2) Overprescribing (prescription of medications for which no clear clinical indications exist); and 3) Underprescribing (omission of potentially beneficial medications that are clinically indicated for treatment or prevention of a disease). Misprescribing was the most common type of IP identified (79% of the identified and 72% confirmed IP events). Benzodiazepines (29%) and antidepressants (28%) were involved in 33 out of 58 (57%) confirmed IP events. Medications with strong anticholinergic effects were involved in 19% of the confirmed IP events. Conclusion The CMR practice was able to identify IP in pre-admission medications of about one-tenth of ED patients. Older patients using benzodiazepines and drugs with strong anticholinergic effects should be paid special attention to ED admissions.
Evaluation of the B.strong Queensland Indigenous Health Worker Brief Intervention Training Program for Multiple Health Risk Behaviours

Queensland’s B.strong brief intervention training program was a complex intervention developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers to assist clients address multiple health risks of smoking, poor nutrition and physical inactivity. This study evaluates program effectiveness by applying the Kirkpatrick four-level evaluation model: (1) Reaction, participants’ satisfaction; (2) Learning, changes in participants’ knowledge, confidence, attitudes, skills and usual practice; (3) Behaviour, application of learning to practice; and (4) Results, outcomes resulting from training. A retrospective analysis was conducted on data for respondents completing pre-training, post-workshop and follow-up surveys. Changes in domains such as training participant knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and practices between survey times were assessed using paired-samples t-tests. From 2017–2019, B.strong trained 1150 health professionals, reaching targets for workshop and online training. Findings showed statistically significant improvements from baseline to follow-up in: participants’ knowledge, confidence, and some attitudes to conducting brief interventions in each domain of smoking cessation, nutrition and physical activity; and in the frequency of participants providing client brief interventions in each of the three domains. There was a statistically significant improvement in frequency of participants providing brief interventions for multiple health behaviours at the same time from pre-workshop to follow-up. Indigenous Queenslander telephone counselling referrals for smoking cessation increased during the program period. B.strong improved practitioners’ capacity to deliver brief interventions addressing multiple health risks with Indigenous clients.
A Heterozygous Mutation in Cardiac Troponin T Promotes Ca2+ Dysregulation and Adult Cardiomyopathy in Zebrafish

Cardiomyopathies are a group of heterogeneous diseases that affect the muscles of the heart, leading to early morbidity and mortality in young and adults. Genetic forms of cardiomyopathy are caused predominantly by mutations in structural components of the cardiomyocyte sarcomeres, the contractile units of the heart, which includes cardiac Troponin T (TnT). Here, we generated mutations with CRISPR/Cas9 technology in the zebrafish tnnt2a gene, encoding cardiac TnT, at a mutational “hotspot” site to establish a zebrafish model for genetic cardiomyopathies. We found that a heterozygous tnnt2a mutation deleting Arginine at position 94 and Lysine at position 95 of TnT causes progressive cardiac structural changes resulting in heart failure. The cardiac remodeling is presented by an enlarged atrium, decreased ventricle size, increased myocardial stress as well as increased fibrosis. As early as five days post fertilization, larvae carrying the TnT RK94del mutation display diastolic dysfunction and impaired calcium dynamics related to increased Ca2+ sensitivity. In conclusion, adult zebrafish with a heterozygous TnT-RK94del mutation develop cardiomyopathy as seen in patients with TnT mutations and therefore represent a promising model to study disease mechanisms and to screen for putative therapeutic compounds.