Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN DAILY LIFE, EXERCISE CAPACITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH CROHN'S DISEASE ON INFLIXIMAB-INDUCED REMISSION: A PRELIMINARY STUDY.

BACKGROUND Physical activity in daily life and exercise capacity have not been assessed in patients with Crohn's disease to date. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the physical activity in daily life, exercise capacity, quality of life, and prevalence of mood disorders in patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease on infliximab-induced remission and the possible associations among variables. METHODS A cross-sectional preliminary study was conducted. Twenty-six patients with Crohn's disease and 20 controls were selected. Participants underwent evaluation of physical activity in daily life (triaxial accelerometer), exercise capacity (shuttle walk test), handgrip strength, quality of life, and presence of mood disorders. RESULTS The number of steps taken (7446±3081 vs 7898±2487), active time (80.6±42 vs 89.7±24.3min), shuttle walk test distance [665 (405) vs 710 (409) m] and handgrip strength [31 (15) vs 29 (20) kgf did not show any difference between the patients with Crohn's disease and the controls. The time spent lying down [95.8 (68.8) vs 60.9 (74.7) min] was greater and some domains of the quality of life were superior in the patients with Crohn's disease. No correlation was observed between the physical activity in daily life and quality of life or presence of mood disorders in patients with Crohn's disease. CONCLUSION Patients with Crohn's disease on infliximab-induced remission, despite to more time spent lying down, they have the same level of physical activity in daily life and exercise capacity min compared with the controls.
Supporting frail older people with depression and anxiety: a qualitative study

Abstract Objectives Depression and anxiety are common in later life, particularly when people are frail. This leads to reduced quality of life, faster decline in physical health and increased health/social care use. Available treatments are commonly not tailored to people with frailty. We explored frail older peoples’ experiences of depression and/or anxiety and how services could be adapted to their needs. Methods Semi-structured interviews with 28 older people in the UK purposively sampled for practice location and severity of frailty and anxiety/depression. We asked about symptoms, interactions with physical health, help-seeking, treatments and what might help in future. We audio-recorded and transcribed interviews, using thematic analysis to inductively derive themes. Results Frail older people had low expectations of their wellbeing at this point in life due to multiple physical health issues and so anxiety and mild depressive symptoms were normalised. There was a particular reluctance and uncertainty regarding help-seeking for anxiety. Treatments were considered appropriate where they aligned with coping skills developed over their lifetime, and facilitated independence and problem-solving skills. Most older people felt their knowledge of mental health was limited and relied upon information about and endorsement of therapies from an expert. This was usually their GP, but access was often problematic. Online methods of accessing information and therapies were not popular. Conclusion Mental health support for frail older people needs to address late-life anxieties as well as depression, account for physical health issues, align with older people’s need for independence and facilitate coping skills.
Acute effects of an isocaloric macronutrient-matched breakfast meal containing almonds on glycemic, hormonal and appetite responses in men with type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over study.

This randomized crossover study assessed the acute effects of almonds on postprandial glycemic, hormonal and appetite responses in a sample of seven men with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Participants completed two experimental visits during which a control (white bread, butter, cheese) and a test (white bread, almonds) meal were ingested. Energy, available carbohydrate, total lipid, and protein contents were the same in both meals. Blood samples were collected in fasting state as well as 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 240 minutes postprandially for quantifying blood glucose, as well as insulin and GLP-1 serum concentrations. Subjective appetite sensations were assessed using visual analog scales at the same time points. Within this sample of participants, the test meal was found to be associated with lower postprandial glycemia and insulinemia, higher GLP-1 serum concentrations, decreased hunger and desire to eat, and increased fullness. The test meal was also associated with an increased estimated glucose metabolic clearance rate, indicating higher postprandial insulin sensitivity. Overall, results suggest that almonds' macronutrient subtype profile could have a beneficial impact on postprandial glycemic, hormonal and appetite responses in men with T2D. Studies with a larger sample size are warranted to confirm these findings. NOVELTY BULLETS • A meal containing almonds (vs. isocaloric micronutrient-matched control) induced lower glycemic and insulinemic responses. • A meal containing almonds (vs. isocaloric micronutrient-matched control) induced higher postprandial GLP-1 serum concentrations. • A meal containing almonds (vs. isocaloric micronutrient-matched control) induced more favorable postprandial appetite responses.
Ultra-Wideband Angle of Arrival Estimation Based on Angle-Dependent Antenna Transfer Function

Ultra-wideband radio signals are used in communication, indoor localization and radar systems, due to the high data rates, the high resilience to fading and the fine temporal resolution that can be achieved with a large bandwidth. This paper introduces a new method to estimate the angle of arrival of ultra-wideband radio signals with which existing time-of-flight based localization and radar systems can be augmented at no additional hardware cost. The method does not require multiple transmitter or receiver antennas, or relative motion between transmitter and receiver. Instead, it is solely based on the angle-dependent impulse response function of ultra-wideband antennas. Datasets on which the method is evaluated are publicly available. The method is further applied to a localization problem and it is shown how a robot can self-localize solely based on these angle of arrival estimates, and how they can be combined with time-of-flight measurements. Even though existing angle of arrival techniques that use multiple antennas show better accuracy, the method presented herein looks promising enough to be developed further and could potentially lead to electronically and mechanically simpler angle of arrival estimation technology.
Regulation of nitrogen availability results in changes in grain protein content and grain storage subproteomes in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Barley grain protein content (GPC) is an important quality factor that determines grain end-use value. The synthesis and accumulation of grain protein is highly dependent on the availability of nitrogen fertilizer, and it is important to understand the underlying control mechanisms of this. In the current study, the GPC and protein composition of mature grain seeds from Yangsimai 3 and Naso Nijo barley cultivars were analyzed. Grain storage subproteomes (albumin, glubulin, hordein and glutelin) were compared in the cultivars grown in both low and high nitrogen level conditions. The GPC of mature grain was significantly higher in Yangsimai 3 than Naso Nijo following nitrogen treatment. Albumin, hordein and glutelin content were increased in Yangsimai, while only hordein content was increased in Naso Nijo. Large-scale analysis of the grain storage subproteome revealed 152 differentially expressed protein spots on 2-DE gels with a pH range of 3–10. Among these, 42 and 66 protein spots were successfully identified by tandem mass spectrometry in Yangsimai 3 and Naso Nijo grown in low and high nitrogen conditions. The identified proteins were further grouped into thirteen categories according to their biological functions. This detailed analysis of grain subproteomes provides information on how barley GPC may be controlled by nitrogen supply.
In vitro–in vivo correlation of the drug–drug interaction potential of antiretroviral HIV treatment regimens on CYP1A1 substrate riociguat

ABSTRACT Objectives: Riociguat is a soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator licensed for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a potentially fatal complication of human immunodeficiency virus infection. This study investigated the inhibitory potency of selected antiretroviral regimens on the metabolic clearance of riociguat. Methods: The inhibitory potential of the components of six antiretroviral combinations (ATRIPLA® (efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil), COMPLERA® (rilpivirine/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil), STRIBILD® (elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil), TRIUMEQ® (abacavir/dolutegravir/lamivudine), and two ritonavir-boosted regimens) on riociguat metabolism were evaluated in recombinant human CYP1A1 and CYP3A4 as well as in human hepatocytes exhibiting both CYP1A1 and CYP3A4 activity. In vitro-in vivo correlation was performed between calculated and observed increases in riociguat exposure in vivo. Results: Using both in vitro systems, the predicted increase in exposure of riociguat was highest with components of TRIUMEQ® followed by COMPLERA®, ATRIPLA®, STRIBILD®, and the ritonavir-boosted regimens. Further experiments in human hepatocytes confirmed CYP1A1 to be the predominant enzyme in the metabolic clearance of riociguat. Conclusion: Antiretroviral treatment containing the potent CYP1A1 inhibitor abacavir had the greatest impact on riociguat metabolic clearance. The impact of comedications containing only strong CYP3A4 inhibitors e.g. ritonavir was less pronounced, suggesting a benefit of riociguat over PAH-targeting medications with contraindications for use with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis LprE Suppresses TLR2-Dependent Cathelicidin and Autophagy Expression to Enhance Bacterial Survival in Macrophages

Key Points Mycobacterium tuberculosis LprE aids intercellular bacterial survival. LprE suppress cathelicidin and autophagy expression in macrophages. LprE regulates immune responses through TLR2. Visual Abstract Despite representing a very important class of virulence proteins, the role of lipoproteins in the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the role of putative lipoprotein LprE in the subversion of host immune responses using the M. tuberculosis CDC1551 LprE (LprEMtb) mutant (Mtb∆LprE). We show that deletion of LprEMtb results in reduction of M. tuberculosis virulence in human and mouse macrophages due to upregulation of vitamin D3–responsive cathelicidin expression through the TLR2-dependent p38-MAPK-CYP27B1-VDR signaling pathway. Conversely, episomal expression of LprEMtb in Mycobacterium smegmatis improved bacterial survival. Infection in siTLR2-treated or tlr2−/− macrophages reduced the survival of LprEMtb expressing M. tuberculosis and M. smegmatis because of a surge in the expression of cathelicidin. Infection with the LprEMtb mutant also led to accumulation of autophagy-related proteins (LC3, Atg-5, and Beclin-1) and augmented recruitment of phagosomal (EEA1 and Rab7) and lysosomal (LAMP1) proteins, thereby resulting in the reduction of the bacterial count in macrophages. The inhibition of phago-lysosome fusion by LprEMtb was found to be due to downregulation of IL-12 and IL-22 cytokines. Altogether, our data indicate that LprEMtb is an important virulence factor that plays a crucial role in mycobacterial pathogenesis in the context of innate immunity.
Evaluating Origin–Destination Matrices Obtained from CDR Data

Understanding and correctly modeling urban mobility is a crucial issue for the development of smart cities. The estimation of individual trips from mobile phone positioning data (i.e., call detail records (CDR)) can naturally support urban and transport studies as well as marketing applications. Individual trips are often aggregated in an origin–destination (OD) matrix counting the number of trips from a given origin to a given destination. In the literature dealing with CDR data there are two main approaches to extract OD matrices from such data: (a) in time-based matrices, the analysis focuses on estimating mobility directly from a sequence of CDRs; (b) in routine-based matrices (OD by purpose) the analysis focuses on routine kind of movements, like home-work commute, derived from a trip generation model. In both cases, the OD matrix measured by CDR counts is scaled to match the actual number of people moving in the area, and projected to the road network to estimate actual flows on the streets. In this paper, we describe prototypical approaches to estimate OD matrices, describe an actual implementation, and present a number of experiments to evaluate the results from multiple perspectives.
Variables that influence the medical decision regarding Advance Directives and their impact on end-of-life care

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to identify the variables that influence physicians to implement Advance Directives and assess their impact on end-of-life care. It is a narrative literature review of 25 articles published between 1997 and 2018, in the following databases: CAPES, EBSCOhost, BDTD, VHL, Google Scholar, MEDLINE®/PubMed. The keywords utilized were: “advance directives”, “living wills”, “physicians”, “attitude”, “decision making”, “advance care planning”. The main factors that influenced physicians to implemente the directives were patients prognosis, medical paternalism, and patients understanding of their medical condition. Respect for autonomy, lack of knowledge and experience with directives, legal concerns, family influence, cultural and religious factors also contributed to medical decision. Most studies (86%) showed that having a directive led to lower rates of invasive interventions in the last days of patient´s life. Physicians were interested in respecting their patients’ autonomy and agreed that having an advance directive helped in the decision-making process; however, they stated other factors were also taken into account, mainly prognosis and reversibility conditions. Having directives contributed to reducing the use of life support therapies and adoption of comfort measures.
Pleiotropic Mitochondria: The Influence of Mitochondria on Neuronal Development and Disease

Mitochondria play many important biological roles, including ATP production, lipid biogenesis, ROS regulation, and calcium clearance. In neurons, the mitochondrion is an essential organelle for metabolism and calcium homeostasis. Moreover, mitochondria are extremely dynamic and able to divide, fuse, and move along microtubule tracks to ensure their distribution to the neuronal periphery. Mitochondrial dysfunction and altered mitochondrial dynamics are observed in a wide range of conditions, from impaired neuronal development to various neurodegenerative diseases. Novel imaging techniques and genetic tools provide unprecedented access to the physiological roles of mitochondria by visualizing mitochondrial trafficking, morphological dynamics, ATP generation, and ultrastructure. Recent studies using these new techniques have unveiled the influence of mitochondria on axon branching, synaptic function, calcium regulation with the ER, glial cell function, neurogenesis, and neuronal repair. This review provides an overview of the crucial roles played by mitochondria in the CNS in physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
Anaphylaxis induced by sugammadex and sugammadex-rocuronium complex -a case report-

Background In sugammadex-induced anaphylaxis, sugammadex and/or sugammadex-rocuronium complex have possible allergenic epitope. Case We report a case of sugammadex-induced anaphylaxis during general anesthesia in a 60-year-old male undergoing orthopedic hand surgery, manifesting as profound hypotension and urticaria. The timing of onset was closely associated with sugammadex administration. The patient recovered after extensive therapy including fluid, epinephrine, other vasopressors, steroid, and antihistamine administration. By intradermal skin test which was done at four weeks after anaphylaxis, we confirmed positive reactions to both sugammadex and sugammadex-rocuronium complex. Conclusions This is a rare case of sugammadex-induced anaphylaxis that both sugammadex and sugammadex-rocuronium complex were confirmed as allergenic epitopes.
Changes in Proteolysis in Fermented Milk Produced by Streptococcus thermophilus in Co-Culture with Lactobacillus plantarum or Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis During Refrigerated Storage

Proteolysis in fermented milk, a complex and dynamic process, depends on the starter cultures used. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of Lactobacillus plantarum or Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, or both, co-fermented with Streptococcus thermophilus, on the changes in the proteolysis profile of fermented milk during 21-day storage at 4 °C, including the pH value, proteolytic degree, protease activity, aminopeptidase activity, free amino acid content, and electrophoresis performance. The results showed that the treatments with co-cultures exhibited a higher amount of free amino groups and neutral protease activity at an extracellular level, whereas lower pH values and aminopeptidase activities towards the six substrates at an intracellular level than the ones with a single-strain of S. thermophilus over the refrigerated storage were observed. In co-fermentation with S. thermophilus, B. animalis subsp. lactis did not significantly affect the concentrations of most free amino acids, while contributions of L. plantarum were found. Electrophoresis indicated that the mixed starters, especially the co-cultures containing L. plantarum, showed a stronger degradation for caseins than the pure S. thermophilus culture. These findings suggest that culture combinations may influence the proteolysis characteristics of the fermented products, and probiotic cultures must be carefully chosen for fermented production.
The Analysis of Food Intake in Patients with Cirrhosis Waiting for Liver Transplantation: A Neglected Step in the Nutritional Assessment

Patients with cirrhosis waiting for liver transplantation (LT) frequently present a nutritional disorder, which represents an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality before and after transplantation. Thus, a proper assessment of the food intake by using different methods, such as food records, food frequency questionnaires, and 24 h recall, should be deemed an important step of the nutritional management of these patients. The available published studies indicate that the daily food intake is inadequate in the majority of waitlisted patients. These findings were confirmed by our experience, showing that the daily intake of total calories, proteins and carbohydrates was inadequate in approximately 85–95% of patients, while that of lipids and simple carbohydrates was inadequate in almost 50% of them. These data highlight the need to implement an effective educational program provided by certified nutritionists or dieticians, who should work in close collaboration with the hepatologist to provide a nutritional intervention tailored to the individual patient requirements.
Two XMAP215/TOG Microtubule Polymerases, Alp14 and Dis1, Play Non-Exchangeable, Distinct Roles in Microtubule Organisation in Fission Yeast

Proper bipolar spindle assembly underlies accurate chromosome segregation. A cohort of microtubule-associated proteins orchestrates spindle microtubule formation in a spatiotemporally coordinated manner. Among them, the conserved XMAP215/TOG family of microtubule polymerase plays a central role in spindle assembly. In fission yeast, two XMAP215/TOG members, Alp14 and Dis1, share essential roles in cell viability; however how these two proteins functionally collaborate remains undetermined. Here we show the functional interplay and specification of Alp14 and Dis1. Creation of new mutant alleles of alp14, which display temperature sensitivity in the absence of Dis1, enabled us to conduct detailed analyses of a double mutant. We have found that simultaneous inactivation of Alp14 and Dis1 results in early mitotic arrest with very short, fragile spindles. Intriguingly, these cells often undergo spindle collapse, leading to a lethal “cut” phenotype. By implementing an artificial targetting system, we have shown that Alp14 and Dis1 are not functionally exchangeable and as such are not merely redundant paralogues. Intriguingly, while Alp14 promotes microtubule nucleation, Dis1 does not. Our results uncover that the intrinsic specification, not the spatial regulation, between Alp14 and Dis1 underlies the collaborative actions of these two XMAP215/TOG members in mitotic progression, spindle integrity and genome stability.
The Prevalence and Correlates of Nicotine Use Disorder Among Bipolar Patients in a Hospital Setting, Malaysia

Objective: The authors sought to determine the prevalence of nicotine use disorder, related demographic characteristic features, and associated correlates of nicotine use disorder among bipolar patients who attended inpatient and outpatient services in a university hospital setting in Malaysia. Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted from March 2009 to September 2010, a total of 121 bipolar patients, whose diagnoses were based on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (bipolar version 5.0.0), were recruited. Their nicotine use disorders were assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (plus version) and the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence. The associated correlates of nicotine use disorder were assessed with the Addiction Severity Index-Lite-Clinical Factors version. The number of lifetime hospitalizations and the survival days (defined as the number of days between the last discharge and the most current readmission for all patients who had been readmitted .
The Role of Oxidative Stress in the Growth of the Indoor Mould Cladosporium cladosporioides under Water Dynamics.

Moisture is one of the critical abiotic factors that can affect mould growth. Indoor humidity is typically fluctuating, which renders a transient water supply for mould growth. Understanding mould growth under water dynamics and its underlying mechanisms can help in the development of novel and sustainable mould prevention strategies. In this study, pre-germination and germinated spores of Cladosporium cladosporioides were exposed to daily wet-dry cycles with different combinations of wetting and drying duration. Afterwards, growth delay, cellular H2 O2 concentration and catalase (CAT) activity were measured and compared. We found that under wet-dry cycles, the longer the growth delay was observed, the higher the cellular H2 O2 concentration was detected, with the 12-12 wet-dry cycle (12-h-wet and 12-h-dry) showing the longest growth delay and highest cellular H2 O2 production. A positive correlation between cellular H2 O2 concentration and growth delay was suggested by Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis (p < 0.0001, R2 = 0.85). Furthermore, under wet-dry cycles, moulds derived from pre-germination spores generally exhibited shorter growth delay, lower cellular H2 O2 concentration and higher CAT activity than moulds developed from germinated spores. These results together suggest that the growth delay of C. cladosporioides under water dynamics is associated with oxidative stress.