Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Modern Food Retailers on Adult and Child Diets and Nutrition

In many developing countries, food environments are changing rapidly, with modern retailers—such as supermarkets—gaining in importance. Previous studies have suggested that the rise of modern retailers contributes to overweight and obesity. Effects of modern retailers on dietary quality have not been analyzed previously due to the unavailability of individual-level dietary data. Here, we address this research gap with data from randomly selected households in Lusaka, Zambia. Anthropometric and food-intake data from 930 adults and 499 children were analyzed to estimate effects of purchasing food in modern retailers on body weight, height, and dietary quality while controlling for income and other confounding factors. The food expenditure share spent in modern retailers was found to be positively associated with overweight in adults, but not in children. For children, a positive association between expenditures in modern retailers and height was identified. Modern retailers contribute to higher consumption of ultra-processed foods and calories. But they also increase protein and micronutrient intakes among adults and children, mainly through higher consumption of meat and dairy. The findings underline that modern retailers can influence diets and nutrition in positive and negative ways. Differentiated regulatory policies are needed to shape food environments for healthy food choices and nutrition.
Semaphorin3A-Inhibitor Ameliorates Doxorubicin-Induced Podocyte Injury

Podocyte injury is an independent risk factor for the progression of renal diseases. Semaphorin3A (SEMA3A), expressed in podocytes and tubular cells in the mammalian adult kidneys, has been reported to regulate diverse biological functions and be associated with renal diseases. Here, we investigated pathological roles of SEMA3A signaling on podocyte injury using a doxorubicin (Dox)-induced mouse model and examined the therapeutic effect of SEMA3A-inhibitor (SEMA3A-I). We demonstrated that Dox caused massive albuminuria and podocyte apoptosis as well as an increase of SEMA3A expression in podocytes, all of which were ameliorated with SEMA3A-I treatment. In addition, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), known as a downstream of SEMA3A signaling, was activated in Dox-injected mouse podocytes while SEMA3A-I treatment partially blocked the activation. In vitro, SEMA3A-I protected against Dox-induced podocyte apoptosis and recombinant SEMA3A caused podocyte apoptosis with activation of JNK signaling. JNK inhibitor, SP600125, attenuated SEMA3A-induced podocyte apoptosis, indicating that the JNK pathway would be involved in SEMA3A-induced podocyte apoptosis. Furthermore, the analysis of human data revealed a positive correlation between levels of urinary SEMA3A and protein, suggesting that SEMA3A is associated with podocyte injury. In conclusion, SEMA3A has essential roles in podocyte injury and it would be the therapeutic target for protecting from podocyte injury.
Avian inventory of the cerrado region, South America: implications for biological conservation

Summary The distribution of the ornithological localities in the cerrado region of South America is analysed. When plotted out, the distribution of total sampling localities appears to be even. However, when only those localities at which birds have been sampled in any depth (> 80 specimens collected or >100 species recorded) are considered a different pattern emerges: c.70% of the cerrado region has never been satisfactorily sampled for birds, and similar or worse situations have been reported for other groups of organisms. Priority areas for future ornithological exploration in the cerrado region are most of the states of Tocantins, Maranhão, and Mato Grosso do Sul, southern Goiás, and western Minas Gerais. In these areas, inventory efforts could be focused mainly on the avifaunas of tropical dry forests, gallery forests and “campos rupestres”. Because the biological diversity in the cerrado region is poorly known and most of this region has already been modified by human activity, it is suggested that the most feasible way to define both a set of priority areas for conservation and a coherent reserve system is to focus analyses on ecosystems and landscapes rather than on species, subspecies or populations. A distribuição das localidades ornitólogicas na regiao do cerrado, América do Sul, é analisada. Quando todas as localidades são plotadas em um mapa, o inventário das aves nessa região parece ser bem distribuido. Entretanto, quando somente aquelas localidades que tern sido amostradas com certa intensidade (>80 espécimes coletados ou >100 espécies registradas) são plotadas, um padrão bastante distinto é encontrado: cerca de 70% da região do cerrado tem nunca sido amostrada satisfatoriamente para aves, e situações similares ou piores tern sido também descritas para o inventário de outros grupos de organismos. Áreas prioritárias para futuras explorações ornitológicas na região do cerrado são grande parte dos estados do Tocantins, Maranhão e Mato Grosso do Sul, sul de Goiás e oeste de Minas Gerais. Nestas áreas, inventários poderiam ser direcionados principalmente para as avifaunas de florestas secas tropicais, florestas de galeria e campos rupestres. Em virtude da diversidade biológica na região do cerrado ser pouco conhecida e de grande parte dessa região já ter sido modificada pelas atividades humanas, é sugerido que a melhor estratégia para definir um conjunto de áreas prioritárias para conservação e um coerente sistema de reservas seria concentrar análises sobre ecossistemas e paisagens ao invés de espécies, subespécies ou populações.
Analysis of technical complications and risk factors for failure of combined tooth-implant-supported fixed dental prostheses.

BACKGROUND The oral rehabilitation with fixed restorations supported by the combination of teeth and dental implants has been advocated in some cases. PURPOSE To assess the clinical outcomes of these prostheses. Fixed restorations supported by the combination of teeth and dental implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS This retrospective study included all patients treated with combined tooth-implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) at one specialist clinic. Abutment/prosthesis failure and technical complications were the outcomes analyzed. RESULTS A total of 85 patients with 96 prostheses were included, with a mean follow-up of 10.5 years. Twenty prostheses failed. The estimated cumulative survival rate was 90.7%, 84.8%, 69.9%, and 66.2% at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years, respectively. The failure of tooth and/or implant abutments in key positions affected the survival of the prostheses. There were seven reasons for prostheses failure, with the loss of abutments exerting a significant influence. Bruxism was possibly associated with failures. Prostheses with cantilevers did not show a statistically significant higher failure rate. No group had a general higher prevalence of technical complications in comparison to the other groups. CONCLUSIONS Although combined tooth-implant-supported FDPs are an alternative treatment option, this study has found that across 20 years of service nearly 35% the prostheses may fail.
Reduced retinoic acid synthesis accelerates prophase I and follicle activation

In female mammals, reproductive potential is determined during fetal life by the formation of a non-renewable pool of primordial follicles. Initiation of meiosis is one of the defining features of germ cell differentiation and is well established to commence in response to retinoic acid. WIN 18,446 inhibits the conversion of retinol to retinoic acid, and therefore it was used to explore the impact of reduced retinoic acid synthesis on meiotic progression and thus germ cell development and subsequent primordial follicle formation. e13.5 mouse fetal ovaries were cultured in vitro and treated with WIN 18,446 for the first 3 days of a total of up to 12 days. Doses as low as 0.01 µM reduced transcript levels of the retinoic acid response genes Stra8 and Rarβ without affecting germ cell number. Higher doses resulted in germ cell loss, rescued with the addition of retinoic acid. WIN 18,446 significantly accelerated the progression of prophase I; this was seen as early as 48 h post treatment using meiotic chromosome spreads and was still evident after 12 days of culture using Tra98/Msy2 immunostaining. Furthermore, ovaries treated with WIN 18,446 at e13.5 but not at P0 had a higher proportion of growing follicles compared to vehicle controls, thus showing evidence of increased follicle activation. These data therefore indicate that retinoic acid is not necessary for meiotic progression but may have a role in the regulation of its progression and germ cell survival at that time and provide evidence for a link between meiotic arrest and follicle growth initiation.
Distribution and phylogenetic analysis of Dabieshan tick virus in ticks collected from Zhoushan, China

Dabieshan tick virus (DBV) belongs to Phlebovirus and its pathogenicity to human and animals is unknown. To investigate the presence of Dabieshan tick virus in Zhoushan, 353 ticks were collected from May 2018 to October 2019. The detection result showed that the average prevalence rate among these samples was 30.3% (107 positives out of 353 samples), which means DBVs are widely distributed in tick populations in Zhoushan of China. In a phylogenetic analysis based on the nucleotide sequences of the L and S segments of the virus (ZS-DBS-2018 tick virus) in the study, it clustered with Dabieshan tick virus (KM817666.1, KM817733.1) with a 97.1% and 99.6% nucleotide identity, respectively. Further studies involving virus isolation are required to characterize Dabieshan tick virus and to expand the geographical distribution of the sampled ticks.
Obesity and insulin resistance in children.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW It is well known that obesity represents the main modifiable risk factor for insulin resistance in children and adolescents; obesity-induced insulin resistance in children is the most important risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes in adulthood. The mechanisms through which obesity causes insulin resistance are complex and not completely known to date. RECENT FINDINGS In children, global adiposity is the main factor determining insulin resistance. Excessive fatty acids play a determinant role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in obese children, inducing an increased production of acetyl-CoA in the liver and enhancing inflammation in adipose tissue. The aetiology of insulin resistance in polycystic ovary syndrome is multifactorial and still debated. SUMMARY The aim of this review is to present an updated frame and new insights of the numerous pathways involved in the development of insulin resistance in obese patients, focusing on the peculiarities of children and adolescents. Improving the knowledge of mechanisms through which obesity leads to insulin resistance is fundamental in order to recommend particular follow-up and possible treatment to specific categories of obese children and adolescents.
Morbid obesity is adversely associated with perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

INTRODUCTION Robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALRP) may be more challenging in obese individuals. This study aimed to evaluate whether obesity had an adverse effect on perioperative outcomes following RALRP. METHODS Hospitalized patients who underwent RALRP from 2008-2014 were identified using the National Inpatient Sample database. We grouped RALRP patients into non-obese, obesity class I-II and obesity class III (morbid obesity). Rates of blood transfusion, intraoperative and postoperative complications, in-hospital mortality, prolonged length of stay, and total costs were compared among the three groups by univariate regression, multivariate regression, and propensity score weighting analysis. RESULTS Of 53 301 patients identified, 48 725 were non-obese, 3572 were diagnosed with obesity class I-II, and 1004 were diagnosed with morbid obesity. Compared to non-obesity (7.62%), overall postoperative complications were commonly observed in obesity class I-II (10.55%) and morbid obesity (17.11%). Multivariable analyses suggested that morbid obesity was associated with increased overall postoperative (odds ratio [OR] 2.00; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.65-2.42), cardiac (OR 1.63; 95% CI 1.03-2.58), respiratory (OR 4.03; 95% CI 3.04-5.36), genitourinary (OR 1.77; 95% CI 1.08-2.90), miscellaneous medical (OR 1.94; 95% CI 1.58-2.39) complications, prolonged hospitalization (OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.57-2.21), and 12% higher total cost. Propensity score weighting analysis yielded similar results. Adequate covariate balance was achieved for all variables after weighting. CONCLUSIONS Morbid obesity is adversely associated with perioperative outcomes in RALRP. Close management is required in patients undergoing RALRP with morbid obesity for potential worse prognosis.
Genetic Diversity and Phenetic Relationship of Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) by rps16-trnK DNA Sequences

Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) is an annual herb with a long history and it is mainly used as a spice and as a medicine that is effective as a digestive aid, a sedative, and a narcotic, and that helps remove bad breath. Dill grows wild in the districts along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, West Asia, China, and Korea. An estimate of the phylogenetic relationships within dill accessions in 20 countries was inferred using data from the rps16-trnK3-intergenic spacer. The aligned data sets for dill ranged from 747 to 779 nucleotides (bp) as a result of the differences in the insert/delete nucleotides. The sequence variation within the dill accessions was mostly due to nucleotide substitutions, although several small insertions and deletions can be found. Among 100 accessions from 20 countries, the Eastern Asia accessions were more closely related to the North American accessions than to the Central Asia and European accessions. Although some accessions were not congruent completely with geographical locations, the dill accessions with rps16-trnK analysis resulted in plants with better-resolved clades.
Blood Pressure Classification of 2017 Associated With Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality in Young Chinese Adults

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association introduced new guidelines for blood pressure (BP) classification in 2017. We explored associations between the newly defined categories and eventual cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, stroke, and all-cause mortality in young Chinese adults. In the community-based Kailuan Study, 16 006 participants aged 18 to 40 years and examined at baseline in 2006/2007 underwent 2-yearly follow-up examinations up to 2016 to 2017. Taking the highest BP reading recorded by manual sphygmomanometry at baseline in 2006 to 2007, we categorized the BP according to the new guidelines. Outcome parameters were CVD events, stroke, and all-cause mortality. During follow-up (mean: 10.9±0.63 years), we observed 458 events (CVD, 167; stroke, 119; and all-cause death, 172). After multivariable adjustment, hazard ratios for CVD events were for elevated BP 0.80 (95% CI, 0.28–2.30), stage 1 hypertension 1.82 (95% CI, 1.12–2.94), and stage 2 hypertension 3.54 (95% CI, 2.18–5.77) versus normal BP. Similar results were obtained for stroke and all-cause death. In Cox regression analysis with BP category entered as time-dependent covariate, stage 1 hypertension was not associated with increased risk (P>0.10). In the subgroup of individuals taking antihypertensive medication during follow-up, none of the BP categories was significantly associated with the incidence of CVD events. During a mean follow-up of 10.9 years, the newly defined category of stage 1 hypertension in young untreated Chinese adults aged <40 years at baseline was associated with an increased risk for CVD, stroke, and all-cause mortality. This increased risk occurred, however, after progression to stage 2 hypertension. The data may help validating the new BP classification system for young adult Chinese.
CALIPER Hematology Reference Standards (II).

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to establish comprehensive age- and sex-specific reference intervals for hematologic parameters in the CALIPER cohort of healthy children and adolescents. METHODS A total of 536 healthy children and adolescents (birth to 21 years) were recruited with informed consent, and whole blood samples were analyzed for 27 hematologic parameters on the Beckman Coulter DxH 520 system. Age- and sex-specific pediatric reference standards were established. Reference values obtained on the DxH 520 were also compared with data obtained on a larger laboratory-based instrument (DxH 900). RESULTS Most hematologic parameters showed significant age- and/or sex-specific changes during growth and development. Of the 27 hematologic parameters, all except four (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, basophil percentage, low hemoglobin density, immature cell percentage) required age partitioning, and eight required sex partitioning. CONCLUSIONS This study establishes a robust pediatric hematology reference database that will assist in more accurate test result interpretation. Our data clearly demonstrate significant variation in hematologic parameter concentrations in children and adolescents, necessitating the use of pediatric-specific reference standards.
Kinetic analysis of the intracellular processing of sirnas by confocal microscopy.

Here, we describe a method for tracking intracellular processing of siRNA-containing complexes using automated microscopy controls and image acquisition to minimize user effort and time. This technique uses fluorescence colocalization to monitor dual-labeled fluorescent siRNAs delivered by silica nanoparticles (sNPs) in different intracellular locations, including the early/late endosomes, fast/slow recycling endosomes, lysosomes, and the endoplasmic reticulum. Combining the temporal association of siRNAs with each intracellular location, we reconstructed the intracellular pathways used in siRNA processing, and demonstrate how these pathways vary based on the chemical composition of the delivery vehicle.
Nuclear transplantation of rat embryos

The nuclei from one-, two-, four-, and eight-cell rat embryos were transferred into enucleated zygotes and development to term of the reconstituted embryos, after transfer to recipients, was examined. The rate of electrofusion of enucleated zygotes with karyoplasts was quite high (81–92%), but the fusion rate was only 8% when Sendai virus (HVJ) was used. A large percentage of the enucleated zygotes that received pronuclear karyoplasts developed to the two-cell stage in vitro (89%) and to term (22%) after transfer to recipient rats. Although 67%, 57%, and 67% of enucleated zygotes receiving nuclei from two-, four- and eight-cell embryos, respectively, developed to the two-cell stage, they failed to develop to term after transfer.
GJB4 and GJC3 variants in non-syndromic hearing impairment in Ghana

The contribution of GJB4 and GJC3 gene variants to hearing impairment in Africa has not yet been studied. Here, we investigated the contribution of these genes to autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing impairment in Ghanaian children. Hearing-impaired children from 141 simplex and 59 multiplex families were enrolled from 11 schools for the deaf in Ghana. The coding regions of GJB4 and GJC3 were amplified, sequenced, and analyzed for the study participants previously found to be negative for GJB2 and GJB6 variants. Seven GJB4 and one GJC3 variants were identified. One out of the seven GJB4 variants was classified as likely pathogenic, while the others were either benign or synonymous. The likely pathogenic variant (p.Asn119Thr/rs190460237) was predicted to be likely associated with hearing impairment. We modeled the wild-type and mutant proteins of this variant (p.Asn119Thr) to evaluate the effect of the mutation on protein structure and ligand-binding properties. The mutant and not the wild type had the potential to bind N-Ethyl-5ʹ-Carboxamido Adenosine (DB03719) which was due to a slight structural change that was observed. No clinically relevant variant was identified in the GJC3 gene. We report for the first time a likely pathogenic GJB4 variant that may be associated with non-syndromic hearing impairment in Ghana; the finding will add to the body of evidence of the contribution of GJB4 to hearing impairment cases around the world. Impact statement Although connexins are known to be the major genetic factors associated with HI, only a few studies have investigated GJB4 and GJC3 variants among hearing-impaired patients. This study is the first to report GJB4 and GJC3 variants from an African HI cohort. We have demonstrated that GJB4 and GJC3 genes may not contribute significantly to HI in Ghana, hence these genes should not be considered for routine clinical screening in Ghana. However, it is important to study a larger population to determine the association of GJB4 and GJC3 variants with HI.
Adaptive and Efficient Mixture-Based Representation for Range Data

Modern range sensors generate millions of data points per second, making it difficult to utilize all incoming data effectively in real time for devices with limited computational resources. The Gaussian mixture model (GMM) is a convenient and essential tool commonly used in many research domains. In this paper, an environment representation approach based on the hierarchical GMM structure is proposed, which can be utilized to model environments with weighted Gaussians. The hierarchical structure accelerates training by recursively segmenting local environments into smaller clusters. By adopting the information-theoretic distance and shape of probabilistic distributions, weighted Gaussians can be dynamically allocated to local environments in an arbitrary scale, leading to a full adaptivity in the number of Gaussians. Evaluations are carried out in terms of time efficiency, reconstruction, and fidelity using datasets collected from different sensors. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach is superior with respect to time efficiency while maintaining the high fidelity as compared to other state-of-the-art approaches.
Solution-Based Deposition of Transparent Eu-Doped Titanium Oxide Thin Films for Potential Security Labeling and UV Screening

Transparent titanium oxide thin films attract enormous attention from the scientific community because of their prominent properties, such as low-cost, chemical stability, and optical transparency in the visible region. In this study, we developed an easy and scalable solution-based process for the deposition of transparent TiOx thin films on glass substrates. We showed that the proposed method is also suitable for the fabrication of metal-doped TiOx thin films. As proof-of-the-concept, europium Eu(III) ions were introduced into TiOx film. A photoluminescence (PL) study revealed that Eu-doped TiOx thin films showed strong red luminescence associated with 5D0→7Fj relaxation transitions in Eu (III). We found that prepared TiOx thin films significantly reduce the transmittance of destructive UV radiation; a feature that can be useful for the protection of photovoltaic devices. In addition, transparent and luminescent TiOx thin films can be utilized for potential security labeling.