Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Piriformospora indica enhances freezing tolerance and post-thaw recovery in Arabidopsis by stimulating the expression of CBF genes

ABSTRACT The root endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica plays an important role in increasing abiotic stress tolerance of its host plants. To explore the impact of P. indica on freezing tolerance, Arabidopsis seedlings were co-cultivated with P. indica exposed to −6°C for 6 h. Freezing stress decreased the survival rate, electrolyte leakage, leaf temperature, water potential and chlorophyll fluorescence of Arabidopsis plants in comparison to the controls. P. indica colonizion reduced the negative effects of freezing, and the plants contained also higher amounts of soluble proteins, proline and ascorbic acid during the post-thaw recovery period (4°C; 12 h). In contrast, the H2O2 and malondialdehyde levels were reduced in seedlings colonized by the fungus. The brassinolide (BR) and abscisic acid (ABA) levels dramatically increased and the transcript levels of several crucial freezing-stress related genes (CBFs, CORs, BZR1, SAG1 and PYL6) were higher in inoculated plants during the post-thaw recovery period. Finally, inocculated mutants impaired in the freezing tolerance response (such as ice1 for INDUCER OF CBF EXPRESSION1, a crucial basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor for the cold-response pathway in Arabidopsis, cbf1, −2, −3 for C-REPEAT-Binding Factor, cor47 and −15 for COLD-REGULATED and siz1 encoding the SUMO E3 LIGASE) showed better survival rates and higher expression levels of freezing-related target genes after freezing compared to the inocculated controls. Our results demonstrate that P. indica confers freezing tolerance and better post-thaw recovery in Arabidopsis, and stimulates the expression of several genes involved in the CBF-dependent pathway.
Optimized Extraction of Total Triterpenoids from Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) and Comprehensive Analysis of Triterpenic Acids in Different Cultivars

Triterpenoid compounds are one of the main functional components in jujube fruit. In this study, the optimal process for ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of total triterpenoids from jujube fruit was determined using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal conditions were as follows: temperature of 55.14 °C, ethanol concentration of 86.57%, time of 34.41 min, and liquid-to-solid ratio of 39.33 mL/g. The triterpenoid yield was 19.21 ± 0.25 mg/g under optimal conditions. The triterpenoid profiles and antioxidant activity were further analyzed. Betulinic acid, alphitolic acid, maslinic acid, oleanolic acid, and ursolic acid were the dominant triterpenoid acids in jujube fruits. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between the major triterpenic acids and antioxidant activities. The variations of triterpenoid profiles and antioxidant activity within the jujube fruits and the degree of variation were evaluated by hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), respectively. The results provide important guidance for the quality evaluation and industrial application of jujube fruit.
Discogenic cell transplantation directly from a cryopreserved state in an induced intervertebral disc degeneration canine model

A multitude of studies has indicated the potential of cell therapy as a method for intervertebral disc (IVD) regeneration. Transplantation of a variety of cells has been assessed and shown capable of deterring the rate of degeneration in animal models and in human clinical trials. In this study, a novel approach using human discogenic nucleus pulposus cells directly from their cryopreserved state was assessed. In an established canine disc degeneration model, the degeneration process was evaluated in IVDs receiving precultured discogenic cells, thawed‐only discogenic cells, and a saline sham injection after induction of degeneration. Degeneration progression was followed over time by the evaluation of the disc height index (DHI). Finally, after 12 weeks, the manipulated and control discs were explanted, histologically stained, and scored. Treated discs demonstrated retained DHI values for all treatment options. Histologic evaluations demonstrated significant improvement of matrix features compared to the sham. Moreover, thawed‐only cells function at least as well as precultured discogenic cells. In short, cell transplantation of human discogenic cells directly from their cryopreserved state can arrest disc height degeneration and maintain histological matrix features in a canine disc degeneration model. The presented work demonstrates the potential of an off‐the‐shelf cell therapy product to treat degenerative disc disease.
Distortion of double-stranded DNA structure by the binding of the restriction DNA glycosylase R.PabI

Abstract R.PabI is a restriction DNA glycosylase that recognizes the sequence 5′-GTAC-3′ and hydrolyses the N-glycosidic bond of adenine in the recognition sequence. R.PabI drastically bends and unwinds the recognition sequence of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and flips the adenine and guanine bases in the recognition sequence into the catalytic and recognition sites on the protein surface. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of the R.PabI-dsDNA complex in which the dsDNA is drastically bent by the binding of R.PabI but the base pairs are not unwound. This structure is predicted to be important for the indirect readout of the recognition sequence by R.PabI. In the complex structure, wedge loops of the R.PabI dimer are inserted into the minor groove of dsDNA to stabilize the deformed dsDNA structure. A base stacking is distorted between the two wedge-inserted regions. R.PabI is predicted to utilize the distorted base stacking for the detection of the recognition sequence.
Evolutions and upcoming on Zika virus diagnosis through an outbreak: A systematic review

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an enveloped, positive single‐stranded sense RNA virus transmitted by Aedes species. Many efforts have been conducted to find a good, reliable and cost‐effective test for ZIKV diagnosis. Diagnosis is still imprecise, expensive and there is not a standard model. We investigated the publications on ZIKV diagnostics and analyzed varieties of diagnostic methods, sensibility, specificity, and the evolution of new methodologies. Conducted in accordance with the PRISMA‐P statement, three blocks of MeSH terms were assembled: group I: virus infection; group II: diagnostic methodologies; group III: characteristics and varieties on diagnostic methods. Search was performed on PubMed, Web of Science and SCOPUS databases. Eighteen articles were retrieved, reporting serological and molecular diagnostic techniques. Serum was used as the main biological material in the serological diagnosis, but urine and sperm were presented as an alternative. Molecular methods used structural and nonstructural regions of ZIKV genome. Experimental methodologies were more efficient, faster, and cheaper. Serological tests are faster and less expensive than molecular assays, but molecular assays are more specific. The use of both methodologies would be the most appropriate and reliable way to obtain correct diagnostic results.
Impact of mixing intensity and duration on biogas production in an anaerobic digester: a review

Abstract This paper is a critical evaluation of the effect of mixing on biogas production rates in an anaerobic digester. Mixing plays a prominent role in determining the efficiency of the anaerobic digestion process. This review analyzes the miscellaneous effects of mixing (on the microbial community, methane content and volatile fatty acids) at various mixing intensities and during different stages of the digestion process. Intermittent mixing (mixing at intervals) seems preferable in terms of the quality and quantity of biogas produced, and results in lower power consumption and maintenance costs associated with large-scale biogas production. Preferable mixing time (the length at intervals) and the intensity depends on the geometry of the digester and impeller. The conclusion is drawn that the study of the slurry rheology is very crucial in the designing of the mixing equipment, the shape and size of the digester, and the pipe transport system which can assist in minimizing the initial investment and operational costs. Accordingly, this paper focuses on the parameters which determine the potency of mixing, such as viscosity, total solid content and digester design. Empirical data demonstrated by various researchers regarding rheological characteristics is compared and reviewed. Consequently, close attention should be paid toward the optimization of mixing in terms of its speed, mixing time and impeller geometry, especially during different stages of the digestion process (hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis and methanogenesis). Finally, readers will be guided to the extensive publications regarding optimization, directions of future research, and troubleshooting of the mixing operation in an anaerobic digester. This investigation will help to improve mixing efficiency with biogas plants. Highlights Effect of shear rate on different stages of an anaerobic digestion process. Methane content varies with the variation in mixing speeds. Mixing effect is significant when the total solid content is higher. Intermittent mixing is favorable when compared to continuous mixing. The geometry of the digester and mixer is essential to evaluate digester mixing.
Non‐conventional use of growth hormone therapy

Human growth hormone therapy is allowed in certain clinical conditions according to national healthcare criteria. Growth hormone, however, produces a wide spectrum of effects. Linear growth is only one of the many expected results, and there are interesting possibilities to explore which could provide additional means of improving the quality of life for the ever‐increasing numbers of chronic paediatric patients.
Expanding workplace HIV/AIDS prevention activities for a highly mobile population: Construction workers in Ho Chi Minh City

In Ho Chi Minh City, the locus of the HIV epidemic in Vietnam, efforts have been under way for several years to implement prevention efforts for migrant worker populations. The main activity has been volunteer health communicators (HCs) visiting workplaces and conducting HIV education activities. These efforts have reached only a small number of the intended audience, and the impact is unclear. Local authorities want to scale up their efforts but need information on the most effective and least costly activities, and their potential for scale up. The Horizons Program, the Population Council/Vietnam, and partners compared two programs for highly mobile construction workers: the existing HC workplace program, where social work students deliver HIV-prevention education, and a new peer-education program. Concerns exist about the turnover of health communicators in the HC program and whether social work students, about half of whom are female, are the most effective HIV-prevention educators for a largely male construction worker population. The new program uses construction worker peer educators to promote HIV risk reduction. Findings noted in this report indicate that the peer-educator program reached a higher proportion of workers than the health-communicator program.
Calorie Restriction Improves Physical Performance and Modulates the Antioxidant and Inflammatory Responses to Acute Exercise

Our aim was to characterize the effects of calorie restriction on the anthropometric characteristics and physical performance of sportsmen and to evaluate the effects of calorie restriction and acute exercise on mitochondria energetics, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Twenty volunteer taekwondo practitioners undertook a calorie restriction of 30–40% on three alternate days a week for one month. Eleven volunteer sportsmen participated as controls. Both groups performed an energy efficiency test to evaluate physical performance, and samples were taken before and after exercise. The total weight of participants significantly decreased (5.9%) after calorie restriction, while the efficiency of work and the contributions of fat to obtain energy were enhanced by calorie restriction. No significant differences induced by acute exercise were observed in individual non-esterified fatty acid percentage or oxidative stress markers. Calorie restriction downregulated the basal gene expression of nitric oxide synthase, antioxidant enzymes, mitochondrial uncoupling proteins, and repairing stress proteins, but it enhanced the expression of sirtuins in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In conclusion, one month of calorie restriction decreases body weight and increases physical performance, enhancing energy efficiency, moderating the antioxidant and inflammatory basal gene expression, and influencing its response to acute exercise.
An Interspecies Molecular and Functional Study of Organic Cation Transporters at the Blood-Brain Barrier: From Rodents to Humans

Organic cation transporters (OCTs) participate in the handling of compounds in kidneys and at the synaptic cleft. Their role at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in brain drug delivery is still unclear. The presence of OCT1,2,3 (SLC22A1-3) in mouse, rat and human isolated brain microvessels was investigated by either qRT-PCR, quantitative proteomics and/or functional studies. BBB transport of the prototypical substrate [3H]-1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ([3H]-MPP+) was measured by in situ brain perfusion in six mouse strains and in Sprague Dawley rats, in primary human brain microvascular endothelial cells seeded on inserts, in the presence or absence of OCTs and a MATE1 (SLC49A1) inhibitor. The results show negligible OCT1 (SLC22A1) and OCT2 (SLC22A2) expression in either mice, rat or human brain microvessels, while OCT3 expression was identified in rat microvessels by qRT-PCR. The in vitro human cellular uptake of [3H]-MPP+ was not modified by OCTs/MATE-inhibitor. Brain transport of [3H]-MPP+ remains unchanged between 2- and 6-month old mice, and no alteration was observed in mice and rats with inhibitors. In conclusion, the evidenced lack of expression and/or functional OCTs and MATE at the BBB allows the maintenance of the brain homeostasis and function as it prevents an easy access of their neurotoxicant substrates to the brain parenchyma.
Comparison of milk production, intake, and total-tract nutrient digestion in lactating dairy cattle fed diets containing either wheat midds and urea, commercial fermentation by-product, or rumen-protected soybean meal.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a commercially available fermentation by-product in a diet containing adequate rumen-degradable protein (RDP) on milk performance, intake, and total-tract nutrient digestion in lactating dairy cattle. Primiparous (n = 48) and multiparous (n = 144) lactating dairy cattle were stratified by milk production and randomly allocated into 12 pens containing 4 primiparous and 12 multiparous animals each. Cattle averaged 118 d in milk and 712 kg of body weight at trial start. Treatment diets, on a dry matter (DM) basis, consisted of 42% corn silage, 13% alfalfa hay and silage, 20% grain corn, and 25% protein premix containing either soybean meal, wheat middlings, and urea (SBM+U), soybean meal and fermentation by-product (SBM+F), or soybean meal and rumen-protected soybean meal (RP-SBM). All 3 diets provided a similar level (DM basis) of neutral detergent fiber analyzed using α-amylase and sodium sulfite and corrected for ash content (31%), crude protein (CP, 14.9%), starch (26%), and metabolizable energy (2.7 Mcal/kg), and differed in sources of RDP. The trial consisted of a 2-wk adaptation and covariate period during which all cows were fed the RP-SBM diet and covariate measurements were taken. Pens were then randomly allocated to treatments, and weekly measurements of milk production, intake, body weight, and condition score were taken for 10 wk. All data were analyzed using the Proc Mixed procedure in SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Increased DM intake was observed for cows fed SBM+F compared with cows fed SBM+U and RP-SBM (28.3 vs. 26.9 and 26.7 kg/d, respectively). Cows fed SBM+F produced more energy-corrected milk (45.3 kg/d) compared with cows fed SBM+U and RP-SBM (43.6 and 43.7 kg/d, respectively). Milk protein yield was also increased in cows fed SBM+F. No differences were observed with body weight or condition score gain throughout the trial. Apparent total-tract digestibility of fiber was decreased in cows fed SBM+F, likely as a result of increased intake. Responses are consistent with previous research in our laboratory that demonstrated a decrease in ruminal CP degradation, leading to an increase in metabolizable protein supply in the small intestine. The fermentation by-product might be useful in diets containing adequate amounts of RDP from soybean meal or alfalfa. The results from this experiment demonstrate beneficial milk performance responses to fermentation by-product when fed with a source of RDP.
Trait velocities reveal that mortality has driven widespread coordinated shifts in forest hydraulic trait composition

Significance Tree hydraulic traits determine plant water use and tree vulnerability to drought stress thereby affecting forest productivity and the movement of water between the land surface and the atmosphere. Here, we leverage an extensive trait database and a long-term continental forest plot network to map changes in the hydraulic traits of tree communities across the United States. We find evidence for shifts toward communities with more drought-tolerant traits driven by tree mortality. This trait compositional change may buffer forest productivity and water fluxes in the near term from the effects of climate change. Understanding the driving mechanisms behind existing patterns of vegetation hydraulic traits and community trait diversity is critical for advancing predictions of the terrestrial carbon cycle because hydraulic traits affect both ecosystem and Earth system responses to changing water availability. Here, we leverage an extensive trait database and a long-term continental forest plot network to map changes in community trait distributions and quantify “trait velocities” (the rate of change in community-weighted traits) for different regions and different forest types across the United States from 2000 to the present. We show that diversity in hydraulic traits and photosynthetic characteristics is more related to local water availability than overall species diversity. Finally, we find evidence for coordinated shifts toward communities with more drought-tolerant traits driven by tree mortality, but the magnitude of responses differs depending on forest type. The hydraulic trait distribution maps provide a publicly available platform to fundamentally advance understanding of community trait change in response to climate change and predictive abilities of mechanistic vegetation models.
Three-Dimensional Evaluation of the Depressor Anguli Oris and Depressor Labii Inferioris for Botulinum Toxin Injections.

BACKGROUND Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) injection into the inappropriate site and depth might produce an unwanted change in facial animation because the depressor anguli oris (DAO) and depressor labii inferioris (DLI) are partially overlapped. Therefore, a simple BoNT-A injection guideline, based on three-dimensional (3D) facial anatomical references and landmarks, is essentially required. OBJECTIVES This study was performed to establish a novel BoNT-A injection guideline that includes the soft tissue thickness at the lower perioral region using a 3D scanning system with dissections in order to provide accurate injection sites and depths for the DAO and DLI. METHODS 3D scans of the facial skin, superficial fat, and facial muscle surface were performed in 45 embalmed cadavers. The thicknesses of the skin and subcutaneous layer were calculated automatically from the superimposed images at each of the perioral region's 5 reference points. RESULTS In every case (100%), P3 and P5 were located in the DLI and DAO areas, respectively (45/45). Therefore, we defined P3 as the 'DLI point' and P5 as the 'DAO point'. The soft-tissue thicknesses at the DLI and DAO points were 6.4±1.7 mm and 6.7±1.8 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The P3 and P5 described in this study are effective guideline that only target the DLI and DAO. Clinicians, specifically, can easily use facial landmarks, such as the cheilion and pupil, to appoint the DLI and DAO point without any measurement or palpation of the modiolus.
Galacto‐conjugation of Navitoclax as an efficient strategy to increase senolytic specificity and reduce platelet toxicity

Pharmacologically active compounds with preferential cytotoxic activity for senescent cells, known as senolytics, can ameliorate or even revert pathological manifestations of senescence in numerous preclinical mouse disease models, including cancer models. However, translation of senolytic therapies to human disease is hampered by their suboptimal specificity for senescent cells and important toxicities that narrow their therapeutic windows. We have previously shown that the high levels of senescence‐associated lysosomal β‐galactosidase (SA‐β‐gal) found within senescent cells can be exploited to specifically release tracers and cytotoxic cargoes from galactose‐encapsulated nanoparticles within these cells. Here, we show that galacto‐conjugation of the BCL‐2 family inhibitor Navitoclax results in a potent senolytic prodrug (Nav‐Gal), that can be preferentially activated by SA‐β‐gal activity in a wide range of cell types. Nav‐Gal selectively induces senescent cell apoptosis and has a higher senolytic index than Navitoclax (through reduced activation in nonsenescent cells). Nav‐Gal enhances the cytotoxicity of standard senescence‐inducing chemotherapy (cisplatin) in human A549 lung cancer cells. Concomitant treatment with cisplatin and Nav‐Gal in vivo results in the eradication of senescent lung cancer cells and significantly reduces tumour growth. Importantly, galacto‐conjugation reduces Navitoclax‐induced platelet apoptosis in human and murine blood samples treated ex vivo, and thrombocytopenia at therapeutically effective concentrations in murine lung cancer models. Taken together, we provide a potentially versatile strategy for generating effective senolytic prodrugs with reduced toxicities.
Child Maltreatment Investigations in Canada: Main and Moderating Effects of Primary Caregiver Cognitive Impairment

Children of parents with cognitive impairment are overrepresented in the child protection system (CPS). The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between primary caregiver cognitive impairment (CCI) and CPS investigation outcomes using the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2008). The CIS-2008 includes process and outcomes data on a national sample of CPS investigations involving a total of 15,980 children under the age of 16 years. This secondary data analysis found that primary CCI was noted in 6.3% of all investigations. When primary CCI was noted, investigations were 3–4 times more likely to result in child removal and court action. The results further suggest that some case characteristics, including case history variables, are weighted differently in decision making depending on whether or not primary CCI is indicated. A systematic, national strategy is needed to build capacity in government and community sectors for the provision of research-informed child and youth protection and family support services for these parents and their children.