Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Garcinol Exhibits Anti-Neoplastic Effects by Targeting Diverse Oncogenic Factors in Tumor Cells

Garcinol, a polyisoprenylated benzophenone, is the medicinal component obtained from fruits and leaves of Garcinia indica (G. indica) and has traditionally been extensively used for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, it has been also been experimentally illustrated to elicit anti-cancer properties. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have illustrated the potential therapeutic efficiency of garcinol in management of different malignancies. It mainly acts as an inhibitor of cellular processes via regulation of transcription factors NF-κB and JAK/STAT3 in tumor cells and have been demonstrated to effectively inhibit growth of malignant cell population. Numerous studies have highlighted the anti-neoplastic potential of garcinol in different oncological transformations including colon cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, head and neck cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, etc. However, use of garcinol is still in its pre-clinical stage and this is mainly attributed to the limitations of conclusive evaluation of pharmacological parameters. This necessitates evaluation of garcinol pharmacokinetics to precisely identify an appropriate dose and route of administration, tolerability, and potency under physiological conditions along with characterization of a therapeutic index. Hence, the research is presently ongoing in the dimension of exploring the precise metabolic mechanism of garcinol. Despite various lacunae, garcinol has presented with promising anti-cancer effects. Hence, this review is motivated by the constantly emerging and promising positive anti-cancerous effects of garcinol. This review is the first effort to summarize the mechanism of action of garcinol in modulation of anti-cancer effect via regulation of different cellular processes.
Functionalized Graphene Nanoparticles Induce Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Express Distinct Extracellular Matrix Proteins Mediating Osteogenesis

Purpose The extracellular matrix (ECM) labyrinthine network secreted by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) provides a microenvironment that enhances cell adherence, proliferation, viability, and differentiation. The potential of graphene-based nanomaterials to mimic a tissue-specific ECM has been recognized in designing bone tissue engineering scaffolds. In this study, we investigated the expression of specific ECM proteins when human fat-derived adult MSCs adhered and underwent osteogenic differentiation in the presence of functionalized graphene nanoparticles. Methods Graphene nanoparticles with 6–10% oxygen content were prepared and characterized by XPS, FTIR, AFM and Raman spectroscopy. Calcein-am and crystal violet staining were performed to evaluate viability and proliferation of human fat-derived MSCs on graphene nanoparticles. Alizarin red staining and quantitation were used to determine the effect of graphene nanoparticles on osteogenic differentiation. Finally, immunofluorescence assays were used to investigate the expression of ECM proteins during cell adhesion and osteogenic differentiation. Results Our data show that in the presence of graphene, MSCs express specific integrin heterodimers and exhibit a distinct pattern of the corresponding bone-specific ECM proteins, primarily fibronectin, collagen I and vitronectin. Furthermore, MSCs undergo osteogenic differentiation spontaneously without any chemical induction, suggesting that the physicochemical properties of graphene nanoparticles might trigger the expression of bone-specific ECM. Conclusion Understanding the cell–graphene interactions resulting in an osteogenic niche for MSCs will significantly improve the application of graphene nanoparticles in bone repair and regeneration.
Multiple Mechanisms Involving in Radioresistance of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the malignant tumor with ethnic and geographical distribution preference. Although intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)-based radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy and targeted therapy has dramatically improved the overall survival of NPC patients, there are still some patients suffering from recurrent tumors and the prognosis is poor. Multiple mechanisms may be responsible for radioresistance of NPC, such as cancer stem cells (CSCs) existence, gene mutation or aberrant expression of genes, epigenetic modification of genes, abnormal activation of certain signaling pathways, alteration of tumor microenvironment, stress granules (SGs) formation, etc. We conduct a comprehensive review of the published literatures focusing on the causes of radioresistance, retrospect the regulation mechanisms following radiation, and discuss future directions of overcoming the resistance to radiation.
A conspectus of Scorzonera s.l. in Turkey

A comprehensive taxonomic study based on comparative morphology of Scorzonera, here maintained in its wide sense, is presented for the territory of Turkey. This study has produced several changes of classification at sectional and species ranks. An updated list of Scorzonera taxa occurring in Turkey, along with their infrageneric classification, is provided. A new section, S. sect. Anatolia Makbul & Coskunc. , is described. Chromosome numbers, threat categories, and distribution maps are given for 6 endemic taxa (S. boissieri, S. karabelensis, S. longiana, S. sandrasica, S. ulrichii, and S. zorkunensis) placed in or transferred to the newly described section. A revised identification key to all Scorzonera species in Turkey is presented.
A family of fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy and anterior polar cataract with an analysis of whole exome sequencing

ABSTRACT Purpose Our aim was to introduce a family affected by this rare phenotype, and perform the whole exome sequencing (WES) to explore the potential candidate genes causing the disorders. Methods A five-generation family including five patients affected by FECD with APC, and nine patients suffered from only FECD was recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University. All participants received ophthalmic examinations. Eight family members were selected to perform WES with a bioinformatics analysis and genome-wide linkage analysis. The candidate genes were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger sequencing. Results Patients in this family had FECD as the common feature. The proband (a 65-year-old female) was affected by FECD and APC in both eyes, with epithelial bullae in the left eye. Slit-lamp, specular, and confocal microscope and OCT images showed guttae more serious in the central cornea than the peripheral area, confirming the diagnosis of FECD. In this family, most corneal guttae was bilateral with an almost equal degree of progression in the Descemet membrane, APC was found around the age of 10, perhaps even earlier. According to the analysis of bioinformatics analysis, two candidate genes were found and confirmed by PCR and Sanger sequencing, but could not achieve genotype-phenotype co-segregation in the family. Conclusion We introduced a family of FECD with APC, with no known causative gene found by WES, inferring that there may be a novel gene-locus in the non-coding regions of genome, which needs further study by WGS. The contribution of this study was to exclude the possibility of the rare phenotype pathogenic site in exome and narrow the scope of pathogenic genes.
Serotypes, virulence genes and polymorphism of capsule gene cluster in Lactococcus garvieae isolated from diseased rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) in Iran.

Background Lactococcus garvieae causes lactococcosis in rainbow trout in many parts of the world. Aims This study was conducted for the existence of the virulent factors and differentiation of the two serotypes in L. garvieae. Methods Twenty-two strains of L. garvieae isolated from diseased rainbow trout from farms in different regions and mugger crocodile of Iran, were investigated. In order to rapidly detect the presence of the hly1, hly2, hly3, NADH oxidase, sod, pgm, adhPsaA, eno, LPxTG-3, adhCI, and adhCII virulence genes, two multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were developed. Also, simplex PCR method was used to identify the bacterial serotypes, CGC, LPxTG-2, Adhesion, and adhPav virulence genes using the specific primer. Results All varieties of L. garvieae contained the hly1, hly2, hly3, NADH oxidase, pgm, adhPav, LPxTG-3, sod, eno, adhPsaA, adhCI, and CGC virulence genes. Also, adhCII gene was present in all strains except one of the isolates originated from mugger crocodile. In addition, LPxTG-2 gene was only present in one of the isolates belonging to mugger crocodile. Adhesion gene was not present in all the strains. Interestingly, all the 22 strains originated from both hosts were identified as belonging to the serotype I. Based on the phylogenetic sequences of the capsule gene cluster, group all fish isolates into a cluster together with one isolate obtained from mugger crocodile. Conclusion Further studies are recommended to investigate the role of virulence genes in L. garvieae and evaluate their pathogenicity to rainbow trout.
Potential inhibitors of coronavirus 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro): an in silico screening of alkaloids and terpenoids from African medicinal plants

Abstract The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-COV-2 has raised myriad of global concerns. There is currently no FDA approved antiviral strategy to alleviate the disease burden. The conserved 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro), which controls coronavirus replication is a promising drug target for combating the coronavirus infection. This study screens some African plants derived alkaloids and terpenoids as potential inhibitors of coronavirus 3CLpro using in silico approach. Bioactive alkaloids (62) and terpenoids (100) of plants native to Africa were docked to the 3CLpro of the novel SARS-CoV-2. The top twenty alkaloids and terpenoids with high binding affinities to the SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro were further docked to the 3CLpro of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. The docking scores were compared with 3CLpro-referenced inhibitors (Lopinavir and Ritonavir). The top docked compounds were further subjected to ADEM/Tox and Lipinski filtering analyses for drug-likeness prediction analysis. This ligand-protein interaction study revealed that more than half of the top twenty alkaloids and terpenoids interacted favourably with the coronaviruses 3CLpro, and had binding affinities that surpassed that of lopinavir and ritonavir. Also, a highly defined hit-list of seven compounds (10-Hydroxyusambarensine, Cryptoquindoline, 6-Oxoisoiguesterin, 22-Hydroxyhopan-3-one, Cryptospirolepine, Isoiguesterin and 20-Epibryonolic acid) were identified. Furthermore, four non-toxic, druggable plant derived alkaloids (10-Hydroxyusambarensine, and Cryptoquindoline) and terpenoids (6-Oxoisoiguesterin and 22-Hydroxyhopan-3-one), that bind to the receptor-binding site and catalytic dyad of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro were identified from the predictive ADME/tox and Lipinski filter analysis. However, further experimental analyses are required for developing these possible leads into natural anti-COVID-19 therapeutic agents for combating the pandemic. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Depletion of Alveolar Macrophages Increases Pulmonary Neutrophil Infiltration, Tissue Damage, and Sepsis in a Murine Model of Acinetobacter baumannii Pneumonia

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as an important etiological agent of hospital-related infections, especially nosocomial pneumonia. The virulence factors of this bacterium and their interactions with the cells and molecules of the immune system just recently began to be extensively studied. Here, we investigated the impact of alveolar macrophages on A. baumannii pneumonia using a mouse model of infection and a flexible tissue culture system. We hypothesized that depletion of macrophages would enhance sepsis and severity of A. baumannii disease. ABSTRACT Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as an important etiological agent of hospital-related infections, especially nosocomial pneumonia. The virulence factors of this bacterium and their interactions with the cells and molecules of the immune system just recently began to be extensively studied. Here, we investigated the impact of alveolar macrophages on A. baumannii pneumonia using a mouse model of infection and a flexible tissue culture system. We hypothesized that depletion of macrophages would enhance sepsis and severity of A. baumannii disease. We showed that macrophages are important for modulating the antibacterial function of neutrophils and play an important role in eradicating A. baumannii infection in vivo. Our findings suggest that in the absence of macrophages in the lungs, A. baumannii replicates significantly, and host proinflammatory cytokines are considerably reduced. Neutrophils are abundantly recruited to pulmonary tissue, releasing high amounts of reactive oxygen species and causing extensive tissue damage. The ability of A. baumannii to form biofilms and resist oxidative stress in the respiratory tract facilitates systemic dissemination and ultimately death of infected C57BL/6 mice. These results provide novel information regarding A. baumannii pathogenesis and may be important for the development of therapies aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality associated with this emerging bacterial pathogen.
A Novel SEMA3G Mutation in Two Siblings Affected by Syndromic GnRH Deficiency

Introduction: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) deficiency causes hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH), a rare genetic disorder that impairs sexual reproduction. HH can be due to defective GnRH-secreting neuron development or function and may be associated with other clinical signs in overlapping genetic syndromes. With most of the cases being idiopathic, genetics underlying HH is still largely unknown. Objective: To assess the contribution of mutated Semaphorin 3G (SEMA3G) in the onset of a syndromic form of HH, characterized by intellectual disability and facial dysmorphic features. Method: By combining homozygosity mapping with exome sequencing, we identified a novel variant in the SEMA3G gene. We then applied mouse as a model organism to examine SEMA3Gexpression and its functional requirement in vivo. Further, we applied homology modelling in silico and cell culture assays in vitro to validate the pathogenicity of the identified gene variant. Results: We found that (i) SEMA3G is expressed along the migratory route of GnRH neurons and in the developing pituitary, (ii) SEMA3G affects GnRH neuron development, but is redundant in the adult hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, and (iii) mutated SEMA3G alters binding properties in silico and in vitro to its PlexinA receptors and attenuates its effect on the migration of immortalized GnRH neurons. Conclusion: In silico, in vitro, and in vivo models revealed that SEMA3G regulates GnRH neuron migration and that its mutation affecting receptor selectivity may be responsible for the HH-related defects.
Hybrid Coils-Based Wireless Power Transfer for Intelligent Sensors

Most wearable intelligent biomedical sensors are battery-powered. The batteries are large and relatively heavy, adding to the volume of wearable sensors, especially when implanted. In addition, the batteries have limited capacity, requiring periodic charging, as well as a limited life, requiring potentially invasive replacement. This paper aims to design and implement a prototype energy harvesting technique based on wireless power transfer/magnetic resonator coupling (WPT/MRC) to overcome the battery power problem by supplying adequate power for a heart rate sensor. We optimized transfer power and efficiency at different distances between transmitter and receiver coils. The proposed MRC consists of three units: power, measurement, and monitoring. The power unit included transmitter and receiver coils. The measurement unit consisted of an Arduino Nano microcontroller, a heart rate sensor, and used the nRF24L01 wireless protocol. The experimental monitoring unit was supported by a laptop to monitor the heart rate measurement in real-time. Three coil topologies: spiral–spiral, spider–spider, and spiral–spider were implemented for testing. These topologies were examined to explore which would be the best for the application by providing the highest transfer power and efficiency. The spiral–spider topology achieved the highest transfer power and efficiency with 10 W at 87%, respectively over a 5 cm air gap between transmitter and receiver coils when a 200 Ω resistive load was considered. Whereas, the spider–spider topology accomplished 7 W and 93% transfer power and efficiency at the same airgap and resistive load. The proposed topologies were superior to previous studies in terms of transfer power, efficiency and distance.
Advanced oxidation protein products change biological behaviors of rat endometrial epithelial cells by activating ERK/P38 signaling pathways

ABSTRACT Advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) are a family of oxidized protein compounds and could induce oxidative stress and inflammatory lesion in various cells. The accumulation of AOPPs was associated with female reproductive diseases such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), leiomyoma and endometriosis. However, the relationship between AOPPs and endometrial cells is unclear. To explore the effects of accumulated AOPPs on endometrial cells, we treated normal rat endometrial epithelial cells (rEECs) and endometriosis model rats with AOPPs. Primary rEECs were collected from 8-week-old female Wistar rats. Increasing the amount of AOPPs in the media of rEECs enhanced rEEC proliferation and migration, and inhibited apoptosis. Moreover, AOPPs triggered the production of reactive oxygen species and nitrite along with activated ERK and P38 signal and this, in turn, led to an upregulation of proliferation and migration. With the treatment of antioxidants or the inhibitors of ERK and P38, the above effects of AOPPs on rEECs were attenuated. Additionally, in an endometriosis rat model, a similar phenomenon was observed in that the growth of endometriotic implants were promoted by AOPPs and EECs were significantly increased. This study indicated that the accumulation of AOPPs could promote rEEC proliferation and migration through ERK and P38 signal both in vivo and in vitro. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. Summary: The research indicated that the accumulation of AOPPs could promote rat endometrial epithelial cells proliferation and migration through ERK and P38 signaling pathways both in vivo and in vitro.
Determinação da compatibilidade de desenvolvimento de culturas bacteriocinogênicas e fermento láctico

In addition to being used as food bioconservants, some bacteriocinogenic cultures have been employed to accelerate cheese ripening. However, the compatibility between their growth and starter cultures is essential to obtain the characteristic products. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the growth compatibility between Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 11454, Lactobacillus plantarum ALC 01, and Enterococcus faecium FAIR-E 198 and two commercial starter cultures. Initially, the sensibility in vitro of the starter to bacteriocinogenic cultures by an agar well diffusion assay was determined. Only Lc. lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 11454 was able to cause the inhibition of both starters. During the associative growth in milk at 35oC, the bacteriocinogenic cultures did not affect the lactic acid production due to the starter cultures. Futhermore, the starter cultures provided a significant increase in the activity of pediocina AcH and enterocin FAIR-E 198. They also suppressed the nisin activity. Among all lactic cultures, Lb. plantarum ALC 01 showed the highest aminopeptidase activity (0,226 to 0,390). Therefore, according to these results Lb. plantarum ALC 01 and E. faecium FAIR-E 198 showed growth compatibility characteristics with the starter cultures and thus can be used as adjunct cultures in cheese making.
Effect of Soil Washing Solutions on Simultaneous Removal of Heavy Metals and Arsenic from Contaminated Soil

In this study, we investigated the feasibility of using a solution of sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid as an extraction method for soil-washing to remove Cu, Pb, Zn, and As from contaminated soil. We treated various soil particles, including seven fraction sizes, using sulfuric acid. In addition, to improve Cu, Pb, Zn, and As removal efficiencies, washing agents were compared through batch experiments. The results showed that each agent behaved differently when reacting with heavy metals (Cu, Pb, and Zn) and As. Sulfuric acid was more effective in extracting heavy metals than in extracting As. However, phosphoric acid was not effective in extracting heavy metals. Compared with each inorganic acid, As removal from soil by washing agents increased in the order of sulfuric acid (35.81%) < phosphoric acid (62.96%). Therefore, an enhanced mixture solution using sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid to simultaneously remove heavy metals and As from contaminated soils was investigated. Sulfuric acid at 0.6 M was adopted to combine with 0.6 M phosphoric acid to obtain the mixture solution (1:1) that was used to determine the effect for the simultaneous removal of both heavy metals and As from the contaminated soil. The removal efficiencies of As, Cu, Pb, and Zn were 70.5%, 79.6%, 80.1%, and 71.2%, respectively. The combination of sulfuric acid with phosphoric acid increased the overall As and heavy metal extraction efficiencies from the contaminated soil samples. With the combined effect of dissolving oxides and ion exchange under combined washings, the removal efficiencies of heavy metals and As were higher than those of single washings.
Electrochemical cloth-based DNA sensors (ECDSs): A new class of electrochemical gene sensors.

Electrochemical (EC) sensors have been widely developed for DNA detection, but they are seldom used in a simple, economic and efficient manner. In this work, for the first time, the EC cloth-based DNA sensors (ECDSs) are developed as a new class of EC DNA sensors, without need for cumbersome chip fabrication and high-cost peripheral facilities. Carbon ink- and solid wax-based screen-printing were used to produce ultracheap sensing devices (the cost of one sensor is estimated to be $0.045). Also, a CdTe QDs/MWCNTs nanocomposite (CdTe-MWCNTs) was applied to modify the sensing interface to obtain a stronger EC signal. Especially, the newly developed double linear hybridization chain reaction (DL-HCR) greatly amplified the EC signal, relative to the conventional linear HCR. Under optimized conditions, target DNA (TD) samples (75-bp DNA fragments prepared via PCR amplification) were determined in a range of 20 fM to 5 nM, with a detection limit of 8.74 fM and relative standard deviations of 2.04% and 4.75% for intra- and inter-assays at 50 pM TD, respectively. Additionally, the ECDSs had an acceptable storage stability and high selectivity. Importantly, the ECDSs, coupled with simple enzyme digestion, could detect genomic DNA from Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), and a detection limit of 0.039 ng/μL was obtained. When coupled with enzyme digestion and PCR amplification, the ECDSs could determine L. monocytogenes in milk samples, with detection limits of approximately 1.64×104 and 11 CFU/mL. These results demonstrate that the method offers offer a broad prospect for cost-effective, reliable and highly sensitive gene-sensing applications.