Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Innate and Adaptive Immune Genes Associated with MERS-CoV Infection in Dromedaries

The recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has refocused attention to the betacoronaviruses, only eight years after the emergence of another zoonotic betacoronavirus, the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). While the wild source of SARS-CoV-2 may be disputed, for MERS-CoV, dromedaries are considered as source of zoonotic human infections. Testing 100 immune-response genes in 121 dromedaries from United Arab Emirates (UAE) for potential association with present MERS-CoV infection, we identified candidate genes with important functions in the adaptive, MHC-class I (HLA-A-24-like) and II (HLA-DPB1-like), and innate immune response (PTPN4, MAGOHB), and in cilia coating the respiratory tract (DNAH7). Some of these genes previously have been associated with viral replication in SARS-CoV-1/-2 in humans, others have an important role in the movement of bronchial cilia. These results suggest similar host genetic pathways associated with these betacoronaviruses, although further work is required to better understand the MERS-CoV disease dynamics in both dromedaries and humans.
A Milk Foodomics Investigation into the Effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens Growth under Cold Chain Conditions

Pseudomonas fluorescens is a psychrotrophic species associated with milk spoilage because of its lipolytic and proteolytic activities. Consequently, monitoring P. fluorescens or its antecedent activity in milk is critical to preventing quality defects of the product and minimizing food waste. Therefore, in this study, untargeted metabolomics and peptidomics were used to identify the changes in milk related to P. fluorescens activity by simulating the low-temperature conditions usually found in milk during the cold chain. Both unsupervised and supervised multivariate statistical approaches showed a clear effect caused by the P. fluorescens inoculation on milk samples. Our results showed that the levels of phosphatidylglycerophosphates and glycerophospholipids were directly related to the level of contamination. In addition, our metabolomic approach allowed us to detect lipid and protein degradation products that were directly correlated with the degradative metabolism of P. fluorescens. Peptidomics corroborated the proteolytic propensity of P. fluorescens-contaminated milk, but with lower sensitivity. The results obtained from this study provide insights into the alterations related to P. fluorescens 39 contamination, both pre and post heat treatment. This approach could represent a potential tool to retrospectively understand the actual quality of milk under cold chain storage conditions, either before or after heat treatments.
Expression Characteristics of microRNA in Pig Umbilical Venous Blood and Umbilical Arterial Blood

Simple Summary Umbilical cord blood is an important biological resource for research on fetal development and treatment of related diseases. To further explore the biological functions of umbilical cord blood, we sequenced the small RNAs in porcine umbilical venous blood and umbilical arterial blood and analyzed them through two differential expression analysis methods. Through comparative analysis, it is found that highly expressed miRNAs in umbilical venous blood and umbilical artery blood perform similar functions, but there may be differences in immunity and angiogenesis. Because miRNAs are highly conserved and have the ability to transmit across species, they have great potential in the treatment of human-related diseases. Further analysis shows that cord venous blood miRNA may be helpful in the treatment of muscle-related diseases, while cord arterial blood miRNA may be beneficial in the treatment of liver- and brain-related diseases. This research helps to analyze the biological functions of cord blood miRNA and provides a reference for the development and application of porcine cord blood miRNA-related products. At the same time, it provides new insights for the further development of value-added products in the animal husbandry industry and the treatment of human diseases. Abstract As the medium of material exchange between mother and fetus, umbilical cord blood is closely connected with fetal development. microRNA (miRNA) has a wide range of biological functions and has high flow characteristics. Small RNA sequencing of pig umbilical venous blood (UVB) and umbilical arterial blood (UAB) revealed that a total of 302 miRNAs were identified, and 106 and 22 miRNAs were specifically expressed in the UVB and UAB, respectively. Using the two methods of differential expression multiple and differential expression percentage, it is found that only 35% of the highly expressed miRNAs in the UVB by the two analysis modes overlap, but 56.25% of the enriched signal pathways are the same. Only 20% of the highly expressed miRNAs in the UAB overlap, but 62.07% of the signal pathways are the same. Further analysis revealed that miR-423 can be used as a characteristic miRNA of UVB and has the potential to treat muscle-related diseases. miR-122-5p can be used as a characteristic miRNA of UAB and may help to improve liver- and brain-related diseases. In summary, these results enrich understanding of miRNA in mother–fetal communication and provide a reference for the development and application of porcine cord blood products.
Exploratory investigation of the outcomes of wheelchair provision through two service models in Indonesia

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that only 17–37% of the approximately 77 million people who need a wheelchair have access to one. Many organizations are trying to address this need through varying service delivery approaches. For instance, some adhere to WHO’s recommended 8-steps service approach while others provide wheelchairs with little to no service. There is limited and sometimes conflicting evidence of the impact of the WHO’s recommendations on the outcomes of wheelchair provision. To help build this evidence, we \explored outcomes of two groups of users who received their wheelchairs through two service models over time. The 8-Steps group (n = 118) received a wheelchair selected from a range of models from service providers trained using the WHO process, and the standard of care (SOC) group (n = 24) received hospital-style wheelchairs and without clinical service. Interviews were conducted at baseline and at follow-up 3 to 6 months after provision, to collect data about wheelchair usage, satisfaction, skills, maintenance and repairs, and life satisfaction. Across-group statistical comparisons were not appropriate due to significant differences between groups. In general, participants used their wheelchairs every day but reported very low mobility levels (<500 meters for the 8-steps group, and <100 meters for the SOC group.) The 8-steps group used their wheelchair for either between 1–3 hours per day, or more than 8 hours per day. The SOC used it between 1 and 3 hours per day. Overall, wheelchair usage and wheelchair skills decreased over the 3- to 6-month data collection timeline. Wheelchair breakdowns were common in both groups emphasizing the need for maintenance, occurring more frequently in the 8-Steps (28.8%) compared to the SOC group (8%), and emphasizing the need for maintenance services. No significant differences were found when comparing device satisfaction across wheelchairs types. Our results emphasize the need for routine maintenance to address frequent wheelchair breakdowns. Our results also demonstrate a large disparity in several outcome variables across groups which motivates future studies where across-group comparisons are possible.
Prevalence and factors associated with intimate partner violence during pregnancy in Caxias, state of Maranhão, Brazil, 2019-2020.

OBJECTIVE To analyze prevalence and factors associated with intimate partner violence during pregnancy. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study, with data obtained through interviews conducted with pregnant women aged 10 to 49 years during the third trimester of pregnancy, living in Caxias, state of Maranhão, Brazil (2019-2020). The instrument of the World Health Organization Violence Against Women Study was used to identify violence. A hierarchical analysis was performed using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS 233 pregnant women were interviewed. The prevalence of violence during pregnancy was 33.0%, with predominance of psychological violence (18.9%). In the final hierarchical model, women aged <20 years old (ORadj=2.09 - 95%CI 1.17;3.54) and illicit drug use by intimate partner (ORadj=8.78 - 95%CI 2.13;28.92) remained as factors associated with the outcome. CONCLUSION Prevalence of violence during pregnancy was high, with illegal drug use by young women and their partners being factors associated with its occurrence.
Vertical Jumping for Legged Robot Based on Quadratic Programming

The highly dynamic legged jumping motion is a challenging research topic because of the lack of established control schemes that handle over-constrained control objectives well in the stance phase, which are coupled and affect each other, and control robot’s posture in the flight phase, in which the robot is underactuated owing to the foot leaving the ground. This paper introduces an approach of realizing the cyclic vertical jumping motion of a planar simplified legged robot that formulates the jump problem within a quadratic-programming (QP)-based framework. Unlike prior works, which have added different weights in front of control tasks to express the relative hierarchy of tasks, in our framework, the hierarchical quadratic programming (HQP) control strategy is used to guarantee the strict prioritization of the center of mass (CoM) in the stance phase while split dynamic equations are incorporated into the unified quadratic-programming framework to restrict the robot’s posture to be near a desired constant value in the flight phase. The controller is tested in two simulation environments with and without the flight phase controller, the results validate the flight phase controller, with the HQP controller having a maximum error of the CoM in the x direction and y direction of 0.47 and 0.82 cm and thus enabling the strict prioritization of the CoM.
The Mode of Action of Cyclic Monoterpenes (−)-Limonene and (+)-α-Pinene on Bacterial Cells

A broad spectrum of volatile organic compounds’ (VOCs’) biological activities has attracted significant scientific interest, but their mechanisms of action remain little understood. The mechanism of action of two VOCs—the cyclic monoterpenes (−)-limonene and (+)-α-pinene—on bacteria was studied in this work. We used genetically engineered Escherichia coli bioluminescent strains harboring stress-responsive promoters (responsive to oxidative stress, DNA damage, SOS response, protein damage, heatshock, membrane damage) fused to the luxCDABE genes of Photorhabdus luminescens. We showed that (−)-limonene induces the PkatG and PsoxS promoters due to the formation of reactive oxygen species and, as a result, causes damage to DNA (SOSresponse), proteins (heat shock), and membrane (increases its permeability). The experimental data indicate that the action of (−)-limonene at high concentrations and prolonged incubation time makes degrading processes in cells irreversible. The effect of (+)-α-pinene is much weaker: it induces only heat shock in the bacteria. Moreover, we showed for the first time that (−)-limonene completely inhibits the DnaKJE–ClpB bichaperone-dependent refolding of heat-inactivated bacterial luciferase in both E. coli wild type and mutant ΔibpB strains. (+)-α-Pinene partially inhibits refolding only in ΔibpB mutant strain.
Cultural adaptation and validation of an instrument about nursing critical thinking skills.

OBJECTIVES to validate the Nursing Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice Questionnaire regarding cultural aspects and metric properties. METHODS a methodological research carried out through cross-cultural adaptation, face and content validity, dimensional construct and known groups validity, test-retest reliability and internal consistency. 511 nurses from four hospitals participated in the study, of which 54 participated in retest. RESULTS the instrument validation for Brazilian Portuguese maintained equivalences, according to the original version. The dimensional validity demonstrated adjustment to the tetrafactorial structure of the original version (GFI=0.69). There were statistically significant differences in critical thinking skills between nurses with graduate degrees and who undertook training, reading articles, developing research and working in an institution with a longer time implementation of the Nursing Process. The instrument showed temporal stability (ICC 073-0.84; p<0.001) and adequate internal consistency (α=0.97). CONCLUSIONS the instrument proved to be valid and reliable for the studied population.
Antitumor Potential of Lippia citriodora Essential Oil in Breast Tumor-Bearing Mice

Lippia citriodora is a flowering plant cultivated for its lemon-scented leaves and used in folk medicine for the preparation of tea for the alleviation of symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders, cold, and asthma. The oil extracted from the plant leaves was shown to possess antioxidant potential and to exert antiproliferative activity against breast cancer. The aim of this study was to further investigate potential antitumor effects of L. citriodora oil (LCO) on breast cancer. The in vitro antiproliferative activity of LCO was examined against murine DA3 breast cancer cells by the sulforhodamine B assay. We further explored the LCO’s pro-apoptotic potential with the Annexin-PI method. The LCO’s anti-migratory effect was assessed by the wound-healing assay. LCO was found to inhibit the growth of DA3 cells in vitro, attenuate their migration, and induce apoptosis. Finally, oral administration of LCO for 14 days in mice inhibited by 55% the size of developing tumors in the DA3 murine tumor model. Noteworthy, in the tumor tissue of LCO-treated mice the apoptotic marker cleaved caspase-3 was elevated, while a reduced protein expression of survivin was observed. These results indicate that LCO, as a source of bioactive compounds, has a very interesting nutraceutical potential.
Further Evidence That Defects in Main Thyroid Dysgenesis-Related Genes Are an Uncommon Etiology for Primary Congenital Hypothyroidism in Mexican Patients: Report of Rare Variants in FOXE1, NKX2-5 and TSHR

Mexico shows a high birth prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) due to thyroid dysgenesis (TD). PAX8 defects underlie only 1% of these cases and NKX2-1 does not seem to be involved. Here, we analyzed other TD-related genes in 128 non-related Mexican patients (females 77.3%; 6 months to 16.6 years) with non-syndromic CH-TD diagnosis established by clinical evaluation, thyroid hormone serum profiling, and scintigraphy (74%) or ultrasonography (26%). We performed Sanger sequencing of FOXE1, NKX2-5, and TSHR and evaluated copy number variations (CNVs) in TSHR, FOXE1, PAX8, and NKX2-1 by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. Odds ratios for TD risk were explored for FOXE1 polyalanine stretches [polyAla-rs71369530] in cases and controls (N = 116). Five rare missense changes cataloged as benign (NKX2-5:p.(Ala119Ser)-rs137852684), of unknown significance (FOXE1:p.(Ala335Gly)-rs543372757; TSHR:p.(Asp118Asn)-rs1414102266), and likely pathogenic (FOXE1:p.(Gly124Arg)-rs774035532; TSHR:p.(Trp422Arg)-rs746029360) accounted for 1.5% (N = 2/128) of clinically relevant genotypes (supported in part by protein modeling) in CH-TD. No CNVs were identified, nor did polyAla > 14 alanines in FOXE1 significantly protect against TD. The present and previously published data collectively show that small clinically relevant germline variants in PAX8, FOXE1, and TSHR are found in only a very small proportion (2.5%) of isolated CH-TD Mexican patients.
Structure elucidation and docking analysis of 5M mutant of T1 lipase Geobacillus zalihae

5M mutant lipase was derived through cumulative mutagenesis of amino acid residues (D43E/T118N/E226D/E250L/N304E) of T1 lipase from Geobacillus zalihae. A previous study revealed that cumulative mutations in 5M mutant lipase resulted in decreased thermostability compared to wild-type T1 lipase. Multiple amino acids substitution might cause structural destabilization due to negative cooperation. Hence, the three-dimensional structure of 5M mutant lipase was elucidated to determine the evolution in structural elements caused by amino acids substitution. A suitable crystal for X-ray diffraction was obtained from an optimized formulation containing 0.5 M sodium cacodylate trihydrate, 0.4 M sodium citrate tribasic pH 6.4 and 0.2 M sodium chloride with 2.5 mg/mL protein concentration. The three-dimensional structure of 5M mutant lipase was solved at 2.64 Å with two molecules per asymmetric unit. The detailed analysis of the structure revealed that there was a decrease in the number of molecular interactions, including hydrogen bonds and ion interactions, which are important in maintaining the stability of lipase. This study facilitates understanding of and highlights the importance of hydrogen bonds and ion interactions towards protein stability. Substrate specificity and docking analysis on the open structure of 5M mutant lipase revealed changes in substrate preference. The molecular dynamics simulation of 5M-substrates complexes validated the substrate preference of 5M lipase towards long-chain p-nitrophenyl–esters.
Promoting Sexual Health Knowledge through a Social Workers’ Mentorship Programme: A Study of Gay Young Adults

Mentorship of counselling for men who have sex with other men and gay youths is understudied. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of how the Mentor Modelling Programme may increase the sexual health knowledge and practices of gay youths. As an expansion of a previous study with the application of the conceptual framework, this study mapped a sexual health promotion plan and the six-month-long Mentor Modelling Programme with the coordination of eight health and social care professionals and 40 gay youths. The researcher found positive and supportive feedback of how the Mentor Modelling Programme could increase sexual health knowledge, promote long-term relationships, and encourage referral of other vulnerable people. The results indicated two directions. The first solicited the perspectives of health and social care professionals and gay youths on how they would describe the relationship, application to, and experience of the Mentor Modelling Programme and second, assessed how this Mentor Modelling Programme influenced and changed the ideas and senses about counselling services and mentorship. This study reflected the current limited sexual promotion between traditional and inclusive sexual health materials. It further indicated the necessary concerns and areas of attention needed to upgrade the materials and host inclusive sexual health materials for both youths and adults in the communities.
A Friendly Complexing Agent for Spectrophotometric Determination of Total Iron

Iron, one of the most common metals in the environment, plays a fundamental role in many biological as well as biogeochemical processes, which determine its availability in different oxidation states. Its relevance in environmental and industrial chemistry, human physiology, and many other fields has made it necessary to develop and optimize analysis techniques for accurate determination. Spectrophotometric methods are the most frequently applied in the analytical determination of iron in real samples. Taking advantage of the fact that desferrioxamine B, a trihydroxamic acid used since the 1970s in chelation therapy for iron overload treatment, forms a single stable 1:1 complex with iron in whichever oxidation state it can be found, a smart spectrophotometric method for the analytical determination of iron concentration was developed. In particular, the full compliance with the Lambert-Beer law, the range of iron concentration, the influence of pH, and the interference of other metal ions have been taken into account. The proposed method was validated in terms of LoD, LoQ, linearity, precision, and trueness, and has been applied for total iron determination in natural water certified material and in biological reference materials such as control human urine and control serum.
“Not Alone in Loneliness”: A Qualitative Evaluation of a Program Promoting Social Capital among Lonely Older People in Primary Health Care

The weekly group-based program “Paths: from loneliness to participation” was conducted face-to-face over 15 sessions by nurses, social workers and volunteers in primary care in Catalonia (Spain) to alleviate loneliness among older people by promoting peer support and participation in community assets. We aimed at exploring participants’ experiences of loneliness and participation prior to the program and its perceived benefits. The qualitative design was descriptive-interpretative. Data were collected through three focus groups and 41 interviews applying a semistructured topic guide involving 26 older participants, six professionals and nine volunteers. Participant-observation of all sessions involved the 38 older people who started the program. A thematic content analysis was applied. Older persons with diverse profiles of loneliness and participation explained different degrees of decrease in loneliness, an increase in participation in local community assets, companionship, peer support and friendship, and an empowerment process. Successful cases reported improvements in mental wellbeing and recovering the sense that life was worth living. Loneliness persisted among some widowed participants and vulnerabilities hampered some benefits. Participants, professionals and volunteers reported different degrees of success in older people to alleviate loneliness by enhancing social relationships and activities through complex processes interrelated with health and socioeconomic factors.
Lack of Relationship between Fibrosis-Related Biomarkers and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance-Assessed Replacement and Interstitial Fibrosis in Dilated Cardiomyopathy

The relationship between circulating fibrosis-related molecules and magnetic resonance-assessed cardiac fibrosis in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is poorly understood. To compare circulating biomarkers between DCM patients with high and low fibrosis burdens, we performed a prospective, single-center, observational study. The study population was composed of 100 DCM patients (87 male, mean age 45.2 ± 11.8 years, mean ejection fraction 29.7% ± 10.1%). Replacement fibrosis was quantified by means of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), whereas interstitial fibrosis was assessed via extracellular volume (ECV). Plasma concentrations of cardiotrophin-1, growth differentiation factor-15, platelet-derived growth factor, procollagen I C-terminal propeptide, procollagen III N-terminal propeptide, and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen were measured. There were 44% patients with LGE and the median ECV was 27.7%. None of analyzed fibrosis serum biomarkers were associated with the LGE or ECV, whereas NT-proBNP was independently associated with both LGE and ECV, and troponin T was associated with ECV. None of the circulating fibrosis markers differentiated between DCM patients with and without replacement fibrosis, or patients stratified according to median ECV. However, cardiac-specific markers, such as NT-proBNP and hs-TnT, were associated with fibrosis. Levels of circulating markers of fibrosis seem to have no utility in the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiac fibrosis in DCM.