Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SGK1 activation exacerbates diet-induced obesity, metabolic syndrome and hypertension.

The serum- and glucocorticoid-induced kinase 1 (SGK1) is a transcriptional target of steroid hormones including glucocorticoids or aldosterone in addition to other stimuli such as glucose. SGK1 is activated via phosphoinositide 3-kinase, placing it downstream of insulin signaling. SGK1 participates in the up-regulation of kidney Na+ reabsorption by aldosterone and has been linked to obesity-related hypertension in humans. We hypothesized that a systemic increase in SGK1 activity may trigger a multiplicity of mechanisms leading to simultaneous development of the main conditions that characterize the metabolic syndrome (MetS), including hypertension. We used a transgenic mouse model made with a bacterial artificial chromosome containing the whole mouse Sgk1 gene modified to introduce an activating point mutation. Wild type or transgenic fourteen-week old male mice were fed with standard chow diet or high-fat diet for up to 18 weeks. Development of the main features of MetS and hepatic steatosis were monitored, and in vitro adipocyte differentiation was studied. Our results show that transgenic animals under high-fat diet rapidly and markedly develop MetS characterized by obesity, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and hypertension. In addition, SGK1 gain-of-function accelerates the development of hepatic steatosis. Our study suggests that inappropriate SGK1 activity represents a risk factor in developing MetS with hypertension and related end organ damage. Our data supports SGK1 as a possible therapeutic target in MetS and related complications and provides a useful gain-of-function model for pre-clinical drug testing.
The apoptotic effect of resveratrol in ovarian cancer cells is associated with downregulation of galectin-3 and stimulating miR-424-3p transcription.

This study investigated if the well-reported anti-tumor effects of resveratrol (RES) is mediated by modulation levels of galectin-3 (GAL-3), an anti-apoptotic lectin that is highly overexpressed in ovarian cancer cells. SKOV3 and OVCAR-3 OC cells were untreated or incubated with DMOS or increasing concentrations of RES (25, 50, 100 μM) for 72 hr. RES, in a dose-dependent manner and in both cell lines, induced cell death and inhibited cell migration and invasion It also downregulated Bcl-2 levels, increased cleaved caspase-3, and GAL-3 protein (but not mRNA) levels, suggesting increased breakdown. These effects were associated with reduced levels of p-NF-κB P65, p-IKKα/β, and p-Akt, major targets of Gal-3. Further investigation showed that RES enhanced levels of miR-424-3p which is able to degrade GAL-3. Conclusion: Findings of this study suggest that RES induced apoptosis in cancerous cells is associated with increased levels of miR-424-3p and reduced levels of GAL-3. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This study highlights a possible mechanism by which RES could enhance cell death in OC cells and enhances their sensitivity to cisplatin. RES apoptotic effect and enhancement of OC cells to chemotherapy were associated with decreased abundance of GAL-3, a common cell survival molecule that promotes tumorigenesis and increased transcription of miR-424-3p that has the ability to degrade cellular GAL-3. These findings add a possible new mechanism by which RES acts and opens a window for further research to understand its mechanism of action.
Three-Dimensional Bioprinting of Functional Skeletal Muscle Tissue Using Gelatin Methacryloyl-Alginate Bioinks

Skeletal muscle tissue engineering aims to fabricate tissue constructs to replace or restore diseased or injured skeletal muscle tissues in the body. Several biomaterials and microscale technologies have been used in muscle tissue engineering. However, it is still challenging to mimic the function and structure of the native muscle tissues. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is a powerful tool to mimic the hierarchical structure of native tissues. Here, 3D bioprinting was used to fabricate tissue constructs using gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)-alginate bioinks. Mechanical and rheological properties of GelMA-alginate hydrogels were characterized. C2C12 myoblasts at the density 8 × 106 cells/mL were used as the cell model. The effects of alginate concentration (0, 6, and 8% (w/v)) and crosslinking mechanism (UV crosslinking or ionic crosslinking with UV crosslinking) on printability, cell viability, proliferation, and differentiation of bioinks were studied. The results showed that 10% (w/v) GelMA-8% (w/v) alginate crosslinked using UV light and 0.1 M CaCl2 provided the optimum niche to induce muscle tissue formation compared to other hydrogel compositions. Furthermore, metabolic activity of cells in GelMA bioinks was improved by addition of oxygen-generating particles to the bioinks. It is hoped that such bioprinted muscle tissues may find wide applications in drug screening and tissue regeneration.
Simulation-Based Mastery Learning Improves Patient and Caregiver Ventricular Assist Device Self-Care Skills: A Randomized Pilot Trial.

BACKGROUND No recognized standards exist for teaching patients and their caregivers ventricular assist device (VAD) self-care skills. We compared the effectiveness of a VAD simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) self-care training curriculum with usual VAD self-care training. METHODS AND RESULTS VAD patients and their caregivers were randomized to SBML or usual training during their implant hospitalization. The SBML group completed a pretest on 3 VAD self-care skills (controller, power source, and dressing change), then viewed videos and participated in deliberate practice on a simulator. SBML participants took a posttest and were required to meet or exceed a minimum passing standard for each of the skills. The usual training group completed the existing institutional VAD self-care teaching protocol. Before hospital discharge, the SBML and usual training groups took the same 3 VAD self-care skills tests. We compared demographic and clinical information, self-confidence, total participant training time, and skills performance between groups. Forty participants completed the study in each group. There were no differences in demographic and clinical information, self-confidence, or training time between groups. More participants in the SBML group met the minimum passing standard compared with the usual training group for controller (37/40 [93%] versus 25/40 [63%]; P=0.001), power source (36/40 [90%] versus 9/40 [23%]; P<0.001), and dressing change skills (19/20 [95%] versus 0/20; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS SBML provided superior VAD self-care skills learning outcomes compared with usual training. This study has important implications for patients due to the morbidity and mortality associated with improper VAD self-care. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT03073005.
Rational Tuning of Zirconium Metal-Organic Framework Membranes for hydrogen purification.

In this work, we investigated the effect of organic ligands on the separation performance of Zr based Metal-organic framework (Zr-MOF) membranes. A series of Zr-MOF membranes with different ligand chemistry and functionality were synthesized by an in situ solvothermal method and a coordination modulation technique. The thin supported MOF layers (~1µm) showed the crystallographic orientation and pore structure of original MOF structures. The MOF membranes show excellent selectivity towards hydrogen due to the molecular sieving effect when the bulkier linkers were used. The molecular simulation confirmed that the constricted pore apertures of the Zr-MOFs which were formed by the additional benzene rings lead to the decrease in the diffusivity of larger penetrants while hydrogen was not remarkably affected. The gas mixture separation factors of the MOF membranes reached to H 2 /CO 2 =26, H 2 /N 2 =13, H 2 /CH 4 =11.
Therapies from Fucoidan: New Developments

Since our last review in 2015, the study and use of fucoidan has extended in several research areas. Clinical use of fucoidan for the treatment of renal disease has become available and human safety studies have been undertaken on radiolabeled fucoidan for the purpose of imaging thrombi. Fucoidan has been incorporated into an increasing number of commercially available supplements and topical treatments. In addition, new measuring techniques are now available to assess the biologically relevant uptake of fucoidans and to assist in production. Microbiome modulation and anti-pathogenic effects are increasingly promising applications for fucoidans, due to the need for alternative approaches to antibiotic use in the food chain. This review outlines promising new developments in fucoidan research, including potential future therapeutic use.
Impact of breed on the fecal microbiome of dogs under the same dietary condition.

The gut microbiome influences the health and well-being of dogs. However, little is known about the impact of breed on the fecal microbiome composition in dogs. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the differences in the fecal microbiome in three breeds of dog fed and housed under the same conditions, namely eight Maltese (8.0 ± 0.1 years), eight Miniature Schnauzer (8.0 ± 0.0 years), and nine Poodle dogs (8.0 ± 0.0 years). Fresh fecal samples were collected from the dogs and used to extract metagenomic DNA. The composition of the fecal microbiome was evaluated by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing on the MiSeq platform. A total of 840,501 sequences were obtained from the 25 fecal samples and classified as Firmicutes (32.3-97.3% of the total sequences), Bacteroidetes (0.1-62.6%), Actinobacteria (0.2-14.7%), Fusobacteria (0.0-5.7%), and Proteobacteria (0.0-5.1%). The relative abundance of Firmicutes was significantly lower in the Maltese dog breed than that in the other two breeds, while that of Fusobacteria was significantly higher in the Maltese than in the Miniature Schnauzer breed. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Streptococcus, Fusobacterium, Turicibacter, Succinivibrio, and Anaerobiospirillum differed significantly among the three dog breeds. These genera had no correlation with age, diet, sex, body weight, vaccination history, or parasite protection history. Within a breed, some of these genera had a correlation with at least one blood chemistry value. This study indicates that the composition of the fecal microbiome in dogs is affected by breed.
Olfactory cleft and sinus opacification differentially impact olfaction in chronic rhinosinusitis

Prior studies have indicated that olfactory cleft (OC) opacification correlates with olfaction in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). However, the results have been unclear in patients without polyps. The purpose of this study was to further explore the relationship between OC opacification, sinus opacification, and olfactory function in patients with CRS.
Complete Genome Sequence of Megaplasmid-Bearing Streptococcus salivarius Strain LAB813, Isolated from the Dental Plaque of a Caries-Free Child

Streptococcus salivarius strain LAB813 was isolated from the dental plaque biofilm of a caries-free child with healthy oral tissues. We report here the complete genome sequence of S. salivarius strain LAB813. This genome consists of a chromosome of 2.2 Mb and a megaplasmid, pSAL813, of 183 kb. ABSTRACT Streptococcus salivarius strain LAB813 was isolated from the dental plaque biofilm of a caries-free child with healthy oral tissues. We report here the complete genome sequence of S. salivarius strain LAB813. This genome consists of a chromosome of 2.2 Mb and a megaplasmid, pSAL813, of 183 kb.
Identification of a novel heterozygous guanosine monophosphate reductase (GMPR) variant in a patient with a late‐onset disorder of mitochondrial DNA maintenance

Autosomal dominant progressive external ophthalmoplegia (adPEO) is a late‐onset, Mendelian mitochondrial disorder characterised by paresis of the extraocular muscles, ptosis, and skeletal‐muscle restricted multiple mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions. Although dominantly inherited, pathogenic variants in POLG, TWNK and RRM2B are among the most common genetic defects of adPEO, identification of novel candidate genes and the underlying pathomechanisms remains challenging. We report the clinical, genetic and molecular investigations of a patient who presented in the seventh decade of life with PEO. Oxidative histochemistry revealed cytochrome c oxidase‐deficient fibres and occasional ragged red fibres showing subsarcolemmal mitochondrial accumulation in skeletal muscle, while molecular studies identified the presence of multiple mtDNA deletions. Negative candidate screening of known nuclear genes associated with PEO prompted diagnostic exome sequencing, leading to the prioritisation of a novel heterozygous c.547G>C variant in GMPR (NM_006877.3) encoding guanosine monophosphate reductase, a cytosolic enzyme required for maintaining the cellular balance of adenine and guanine nucleotides. We show that the novel c.547G>C variant causes aberrant splicing, decreased GMPR protein levels in patient skeletal muscle, proliferating and quiescent cells, and is associated with subtle changes in nucleotide homeostasis protein levels and evidence of disturbed mtDNA maintenance in skeletal muscle. Despite confirmation of GMPR deficiency, demonstrating marked defects of mtDNA replication or nucleotide homeostasis in patient cells proved challenging. Our study proposes that GMPR is the 19th locus for PEO and highlights the complexities of uncovering disease mechanisms in late‐onset PEO phenotypes.
Evolutionary Origin and Host Range of Plagiotoma lumbrici (Ciliophora, Hypotrichia), an Obligate Gut Symbiont of Lumbricid Earthworms

Four common earthworm species, the anecic Lumbricus terrestris, the endogeic Octolasion tyrteum as well as the epigeic Eisenia fetida and Dendrobaena veneta, were examined for the presence of the microbial gut symbiont Plagiotoma lumbrici. The evolutionary origin of this endobiotic microbe was reconstructed, using the 18S rRNA gene, the ITS1‐5.8S‐ITS2 region, and the first two domains of the 28S rRNA gene. Plagiotoma lumbrici was exclusively detected in the anecic Lumbricus terrestris. Multigene analyses and the ITS2 secondary structure robustly determined the phylogenetic home of Plagiotoma lumbrici populations within the oxytrichid Dorsomarginalia (Spirotrichea: Hypotrichia) as a sister taxon of the free‐living Hemiurosomoida longa. This indicates that earthworms obtained their gut endosymbiont by ingesting soil/leaf litter containing oxytrichine ciliates that became adapted to the intestinal tract of earthworms. Interestingly, according to the literature data, Plagiotoma lumbrici was detected in multiple anecic and some epigeic but never in endogeic earthworms. These observations suggest that Plagiotoma lumbrici might be adapted to certain gut conditions and the lifestyle of anecic Lumbricidae, such as Lumbricus, Aporrectodea, and Scherotheca, as well as of some co‐occurring epigeic Lumbricus species.
Performance of a modified three‐level classification in stratifying open liver resection procedures in terms of complexity and postoperative morbidity

Traditional classifications for open liver resection are not always associated with surgical complexity and postoperative morbidity. The aim of this study was to test whether a three‐level classification for stratifying surgical complexity based on surgical and postoperative outcomes, originally devised for laparoscopic liver resection, is superior to classifications based on a previously reported survey for stratifying surgical complexity of open liver resections, minor/major nomenclature or number of resected segments.
Selectivity Enhancement of Paclitaxel Liposome Towards Folate Receptor-Positive Tumor Cells by Ligand Number Optimization Approach

The present work aims to develop folate-targeted paclitaxel liposome (F-PTX-LIP), which will selectively target tumor cells overexpressing folate receptor (FR) and leave normal cells. Liposomes were prepared by thin-film hydration method followed by post-insertion of synthesized ligand 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-phosphoethanolamine-polyethyleneglycol 2000-folic acid (DSPE-PEG2000-FA) on the outer surface of the liposome. The synthesized ligand was evaluated for in vivo acute toxicity in Balb/c mice. Developed liposomal formulations were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). We have investigated the effect of ligand number on cell uptake and cytotoxicity by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), competitive inhibition and 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay. Compared to lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549), uptake in human ovarian carcinoma cells (SKOV3) was 2.2- and 1.2-fold higher for liposome with 480 and 240 ligand number respectively. Competitive inhibition experiment shows that prior incubation of SKOV3 cells with free folic acid significantly reduced the cell uptake of F-PTX-LIP with 480 ligand number (480 F-PTX-LIP) by 2.6-fold. 480 F-PTX-LIP displays higher cytotoxicity than free drug and PTX liposome. Moreover, it specifically targets the cells with higher folate receptor expression. Optimized 480 F-PTX-LIP formulation can be potentially useful for the treatment of folate receptor-positive tumors.
On the Benefits of Multi-Domain Congestion Control in LTE Networks

Wireless networks have traditionally been a challenging environment for congestion control algorithms. Our Multi-Domain Congestion Control framework aims to outperform congestion control solutions that are based on client feedback only by leveraging cooperation between the network and the servers. In this paper, we present a performance evaluation of our approach in realistic LTE simulations. We show that Multi-Domain Congestion Control delivers significant performance gains over TCP CUBIC in short flow completion time achieving 33–84% reduction in the 1-10MB flow size range. We also demonstrate that it is able to swiftly react to increased capacity in various typical LTE environments, utilizing the new bandwidth more than 76% faster than CUBIC in a vehicular — and more than 71% faster in pedestrian scenario. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that our cooperative framework also outperforms CUBIC in long term throughput.
Exploring the Limitations of Quality Metrics in Detecting and Evaluating Community Structures

The discovery and analysis of community structures in networks has attracted increasing attention in recent years. However there are some well-known quality metrics for detecting and evaluating communities, each of them has its own limitations. In this paper, we first deeply discuss these limitations for community detection and evaluation based on the definitions and formulations of these quality metrics. Then, we perform some experiments on the artificial and real-world networks to demonstrate these limitations. Analyzed quality metrics in this paper include modularity, performance, coverage, normalized mutual information (NMI), conductance, internal density, triangle participation ratio and cut ratio. Comparing with previous works, we go through the limitations of modularity with much more accurate details. Moreover, for the first time, we present some limitations of NMI. In addition, however it is known that performance has tendency to get high values in large graphs, we explore this limitation by its formulation and discuss several specific cases in which performance even on small graphs gets high scores
Analysis of Growth Strategies in Social Media: The Instagram Use Case

Social Networking describes the phenomena found in participatory and self-expressive Web sites—such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Online communities represent a growing class of marketplace communities where participants can provide and exchange information on products, services, or common interests. Exploiting the phenomena, companies, artists, and new professional figures as influencers, youtubers and resellers, are increasingly using online communities to create value for their firms and customers, ensuring that their activities are relevant to the social network audience. However, from a marketing perspective, being able to distinguish a brand or an original work in a sea of competitors is a difficult challenge. From a more economic perspective, having a social media plan and strategy in place is becoming a must. At the same time, from the technical perspective, becoming popular in those platforms it is not so easy. This paper presents a seminal effort to investigate some strategies to growth on Instagram without using promotion tools. In particular, we studied how "Benign" Social Bots, using the provided platform APIs, can affect the Social Media world. Our experimental results assess and benchmark the effectiveness of some approaches, increasing the diffusion of users content on the Social Media and consequentially speeding up growth.
Capacitive Coupled Electrodes based Non-contact ECG Measurement System with Real-time Wavelet Denoising Algorithm

A non-contact electrocardiograph (ECG) measurement system based on capacitive coupled electrodes is proposed. Unlike conventional wet electrode, the capacitive coupled electrode is designed to measure ECG signal both in contact with skin and through clothes. The hardware part of the system includes two capacitive coupled electrodes, a reference electrode, a signal processing module and a transmission module, and the software part includes data extraction, signal processing, data storage, and waveform display. A real-time ECG denoising algorithm is developed based on wavelet transform with a moving window. To verify the performance of proposed system, two different conditions of the ECG measurement are experimentally tested in comparison with Ag/AgCl electrode. One is in a contact condition in which capacitive coupled electrodes touched the skin. Another is the non-contact condition in which ECG was measured through thin clothes. The results show that the capacitive coupled electrode is better than the conventional Ag/AgCl electrode when it is attached to the skin, and the clear ECG waveform can be obtained under non-contact measurement. The results demonstrated the feasibility to measure high resolution ECG waveform with real-time denoising algorithm in a non-contact way.
Using TLA+ to Specify Leader Election of Raft Algorithm with Consideration of Leadership Transfer in Multiple Controllers

the consistency problem can be solved by running the Raft consensus algorithm in a distributed cluster, but the re-election of the leader may cause the cluster to be unavailable. Therefore, the leadership transfer function is increased to the Raft algorithm to prevent the cluster unavailable because of the leader being shut down or removed from the cluster and so on. To cope with such situation, the leadership transfer function is formally specified with the TLA+ language and verified with the TLC Model Checker to prove its correctness. And then the codes of the leadership transfer implemented in OpenDaylight are analyzed. In the end, the measured time of reelection and time of leadership transfer proves that the availability of the cluster is heightened when the Leader is asked to shut down.